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SOUTHWEST 
SKETCHES 



BY 

J. A. MUNK 



WITH 133 ILLUSTRATIONS 



G. P. Putnam's Sons 

New York and London 

®f)e 5^ntcfecrbocfecr S^vtHi 

1920 



F7S6 

,Kqs 



Copyright, 1920, bt 
J. A. MUNK 

Printed in the United States of America. 



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FEB -7 1921 
^CU608270 






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CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Mesa Country 1 

II. Land of the Cliff Dwellers 22 

III. In Hopiland 58 

IV. The Flagstaff Region 104 

V. The Petrified Forests of Arizona . . 133 

VI. El Rito de los Frijoles 157 

VII. On the Arizona Frontier 181 

VIII. Passing of the Apache 217 

IX. Ranch Reminiscences 246 

X. Big Irrigation Projects 275 

XI. Southwest Climate 289 

XII. Southern California 300 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Mummy House, in Canyon del Muerto, a 
Branch of Canyon de Chelly Frontispiece ^ 

Highland Park from Southwest Museum 

Hill 3 ^ 

Foothills of the San Fernando Valley 3 ' 

A Foothill Ravine . . 7 , 

Elder Bloom ...... 7 

Early Spring Freshet . . . . 11 .- 

Rural Driveway .11- 

Young Grove of Eastern Forest Trees in 
the Munk Arboretum for Testing For- 
eign Trees and Plants . . . . 15 ^ 

A California Booster . . . . 15 ^ 

Laguna Canal . . . . . • 19 / 

Artesian Well 19 " 

Yuma 23 

Yuma Ferry 23 

Site of Old Fort Yuma, now an Indian 

School ....... 27 

The Tuba Desert 27 



VI 



Illustrations 



A Wayside Camp . . . . • 31 ' 

Some Comfort in this Camp . . . 31 ' 

Oracle, a Health Resort in the Catalina 

Mountains near Tucson .... 35 

A Frontier Cabin ..... 35 

Dos Cabezas Peak ..... 39 

Top of the World ..... 39 

Los Feliz Road ..... 43 

Southwest Museum, Los Angeles . . 43 

Well Fed and Groomed .... 47 

Cow Ponies. ...... 47 

The Remuda. Horses Heading in to Avoid 

Being Caught ..... 51 

Cowboys at a Roundup . -51 

Branding Cattle ■ • . • • 55 

Cowboys' Bedroom • . • . • 55 

Desert Vegetation ..... 59 

Sahuaro and Cholla Cactus ... 59 

Wild Horses ...... 63 

A Profitable Industry .... 63 

Roosevelt Dam ...... 67 

Dedication of Roosevelt Dam ... 67 

Head Gates ...... 71 



Illustrations 



Vll 



Roosevelt Lake . 






• 71 


On the Apache Trail • • • • 75 


Laguna Dam Intake Gate • • • 75 


Leader of the Pack Train • •• 79 


Uncle Sam Hunting Hostile Indians . 79 


Fort Apache ...... 83 


Road to Fort Apache. 






• 83 


Apache Wickiup 






. 87 


Apache Squaw 






87 


Our Apache Neighbor 






91 


An Apache Camp. 






91 


Drawing Rations 






• 95 


Starting for Home 






95 


A Happy Family . 






99 


Apache Mother and Child 




99 


MuNK Ranch 




. 103 


Ranch Corrals . 




. 103 


Cattle under Herd at a Roundup 


. 107 


Open Range Horse Pasture 


. 107 


Tyuonyi 


III 


Ceremonial Cave 


III 


Head of the Rito 


, 


, 


. 115 



Vlll 



Illustrations 





PAGE 


Pueblo Dance, Acoma 


. 115 


Seeking Adventure . 


. 119 


The Chuck Wagon 


. 119 


Parting of the Ways 


. 123 


Cottonwood Camp 


. 123 


Primeval Forest 


. 127 


Black River 


. 127 


White River 


. 131 


An Arizona Trout Brook 


. 131 


Rushing Mountain Stream 


. 135 


Camping in the Wildernes 


s . .135 


Aspen Grove 


• 139 


Mountain Meadow 


• 139 


Recent Earthquake Fissi 


JRE AT Canyon 


Diablo 


• 143 


Coon Butte Crater . 


• 143 


Navajo Thrift . 


• 147 


"Home Sweet Home"— Na\ 


^Ajo Hogan 147 


Crossing the Rio Puerco 


. 151 


The Eagle's Beak 


. 151 


The Rainbow Forest 


• 155 


The Bridge 


. 155 



Illustrations 



IX 



PAGE 

Petrified Wood and Clay Beds, Blue Forest 159 

Chalcedony Park . . . 159 

The Painted Desert of the North Forest 163 

Al Stevenson . . . . . 163 

Governor's Palace, Santa Fe . . . 167 

North Wall of the Rito . . . .167 

Grottos in the North Wall . 171 

Prince and Princess of Persia . . 171 

Trio of Snake Dancers . . . -175 

Snake Priestesses . . . . -175 

The Mystic Circle . . . . .179 

Hopi Girls ...... 179 

Hopi Woman ...... 183 

Kachina Dancers in Costume . .183 

Sand Dunes and Peach Orchard . .187 

A Tempting Snapshot. .... 187 

Navajo House Maids . . 191 

Mr. Hubbell and Some of his Native 
Helpers ...... 

The San Francisco Mountains . 



Indian Garden and lower Bright Angel 
Trail, Grand Canyon .... 

Sunset Mountain and Lava Bed 



191 
195 

195 
199 



Illustrations 



Sunset Mountain Crater . 

Volcanic Cones and Cinder Field 

Lowell Observatory . 

Jollying the Guide . 

End of the Trail 

Keet Seel 

Red Rock Canyon Cliff House 

Nature's Decorations on Casa Blanca Cliff 

Canyon de Chelly 

Surprised 

Navajo Women Visiting 

Typical Navajos 

Navajo Sweat House . 

Moencopi . 

Shipaulovi 

Hopi House, Mishongnovi 

Captive Eagles . 

Religious Devotee 

Albino Antelope Leader and Snake Priests 

The Enchanted Mesa .... 

Road of Endless Distance 

The Haystacks ...... 



PAGE 
199 

207 

211 
211 

215 
219 
219 
223 
223 
227 
227 
231 
231 
235 
235 
239 
239 
243 



Illustrations 



XI 



Black Rock 

Desert Mirage Lake 

Watching the Snake Race 
Effect on the Skyline) 



(Note Mirage 



Resting the Flock 

A Desert Outfit 

Hieroglyphics near Adamana 

The Sky Army . 

Marsh Pass 

Agathla Butte and Comb Ridge 

Laguna Canyon .... 

Wetherill's Pack Mules, Annie and Red 



PAGE 



251 
255 
255 
259 
259 
263 
263 



SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

CHAPTER I 

THE MESA COUNTRY 

The mesa country, which includes thousands of 
square miles of territory in northern Arizona and 
New Mexico, is a land of rare fascination. 

In early geologic times it was lifted from the ocean 
bed by volcanic action to an elevation of several thou- 
sand feet above the sea. Originally, it presented a 
uniform flat surface between mountain ranges which, 
in the course of time, became eroded and cut up into 
mesas, canyons and valleys. Only patches of table- 
lands of the original plain now remain in evidence and 
appear at intervals upon the sky line. 

Although the region is desert and dry, it has an 
attraction of its own that lures the visitor and either 
causes him to stay or else to return again and again. 
The whole scene, with all that goes with it of earth, 
air and sky, is deeply impressive and not easily for- 
gotten. 

Its unusual features of distance, color and sky line 
make a striking picture that shows what Nature can 
do in landscape painting on a large scale, when in her 
best mood. Such a picture is enough to try the skill 
of the most finished artist, but it has been successfully 

1 



2 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

caught and transferred to canvas with brush and pen- 
cil many times in recent years. 

Near the top of the old time level, as is seen in the 
fragments of scattered mesas, are buried horizontal 
strata of rocks that lie under thin deposits of soil. 
The perpendicular cliffs formed by erosion and marked 
by an escarpment of rim rock, are, on an average, one 
hundred feet high, and huge blocks of stone litter the 
talus below. 

The sudden and complete disappearance of boulders 
at the foot of the mesa, in all such places, is one of 
the strange and unexplained geologic features of the 
country. Under ordinary conditions of erosion these 
rocks should have disintegrated and vanished gradual- 
ly, but here they disappear suddenly just beyond the 
talus, and not a single large stone can be found on any 
of the sunken plains that stretch between the mesas. 
That the boulders which are found upon the talus 
were not recently displaced is evidenced by the fact 
that many of them are decorated with hieroglyphics 
and pictographs that were made by an ancient people 
of unknown date, about whom there is no definite 
knowledge. 

In the magical light of the desert the road of endless 
distance stretches away, like a diminishing stripe of 
gray, that reaches clear to the horizon. The decep- 
tive atmosphere also helps to measure distance. The 
nearby hills look natural in their coats of green and 
brown, the midway mesas are wrapped in a veil of 
purple haze, while the distant mountains are nearly 
lost in a dark mantle of blue. 

The mountains are massive in their great bulk and 
represent the strength, silence and patience of the uni- 
verse. They stand ever steadfast, are always patient 




Highland Park from Southwest Museum Hill 




Foothills of the San Fernando Valley 



THE MESA COUNTRY 5 

and wait uncomplainingly on the slow but sure action 
of the leveling forces of time. Everything is just as 
Nature made it, except along the railroad where the 
pure air of heaven is sometimes polluted by thick 
clouds of black smoke which is belched from the stack 
of a speeding engine. No wonder that the Indian, 
when he saw the first train of cars rushing across the 
landscape, believed that it was a new enemy hot upon 
his trail, ready to consume him alive with one blast 
of its fiery breath. Such a conception was perfectly 
natural to his untutored mind, and not far from the 
truth, as he is, figuratively speaking, being rapidly 
crowded off the earth by our modern civilization. 

Many natural monuments, composed of solid rock, 
are found scattered over the mesa country. Some of 
them are carved out of soft, sedimentary rock from 
sandstone cliffs, while others projecting out of the 
earth, are of volcanic origin and are as hard as flint. 
Many of these singular objects are conspicuous land- 
marks, and make a striking appearance. They stand 
both singly and in groups, and always can be seen 
somewhere on the landscape. They stand upright in 
shafts, pillars and columns, round topped, serrated and 
flat, in a variety of colors, but are usually either red 
or black, according to their origin of sandstone or lava. 

The most convenient group to reach are the Hopi 
Buttes, half way between Winslow, Arizona, on the 
Santa Fe Railroad, and the Hopi villages. A second 
group of red sandstone columns stands in Monument 
Canyon, a branch of Canyon de Chelly, thirty-five 
miles north of Fort Defiance. But the largest and 
most imposing cluster of buttes in the entire aggrega- 
tion is in the Monument Valley near the San Juan 
River, on the Utah-Arizona border. This is a singu- 



6 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

larly wild and mysterious region that lias only recently 
been described. There are no white people living in 
the valley, and the few Indians who make it their home 
find a precarious existence. It is in the vicinity of 
the Navajo Mountain and the country is yet so primi- 
tive that there are no made roads and traveling has 
to be done by pack animals over difficult trails. The 
chief of these monuments is named Agathla, or El 
Capitan, as it is sometimes called, which towers twelve 
hundred and twenty-five feet into the air. It stands 
just back of Comb Ridge, another interesting geologic 
feature, and only its top is visible when approached 
from the east, which is the usual route of travel. It 
is distinctly outlined on the sky, and in the clear at- 
mosphere of the desert is seen at a distance of fully 
one hundred miles. Other familiar objects found in 
different sections of the mesa country are Mitten 
Butte, Thumb Butte, the Hay Stacks, Black Rock, 
Ship Rock, Church Rock, etc. 

Much of the rock sculpture is of a massive character 
and can be seen at a great distance over the level 
plain. Perhaps as good a specimen of rock carving 
as can be found anywhere, is the castellated butte of 
Round Rock, in the Chinle Valley, below the mouth 
of Canyon de Chelly. As first seen in the far distance, 
while traveling towards the canyon from the south, 
it has the appearance of a large castle or city that is 
resplendent in colors, and looks grandly realistic as 
the beholder gazes in wonder and amazement at the 
strange sight of such a magnificent building standing 
in the midst of a barren desert. The object is con- 
stantly visible from the trail during three days' travel, 
and although its appearance changes frequently, it 
never seems to come anv nearer. Its striking appear- 




A Foothill Ravine 




Elder Bloom 



THE MESA COUNTRY 9 

ance is not wholly due to its shape, but all of its lines 
are intensified and magnified by the phantasmagoric 
state of the atmosphere. 

When the Spaniards under Coronado first explored 
the land in search of the fabled seven cities of Cibola, 
it is not surprising that they should have been de- 
ceived by the architectural appearance of this and 
many other kindred rocks into believing that they 
were approaching some large house or city. Natural- 
ly, after wandering on the desert during many weary 
months, they were eager to reach some human habita- 
tion where they could find needed rest and refresh- 
ment, and when they saw these objects, believed that 
they had reached their goal. The cities, of which they 
were in search, were reputed to be of great wealth and 
splendor, but were only a myth, as they did not exist 
and, of course, were never found, so Coronado with 
his army of adventurers returned home empty handed 
and disappointed. Knowing now, as we do, the true 
facts in the case, it does not seem strange that these 
people should have been deceived by such unusual 
looking rocks, when even at the present day, the inex- 
perienced traveler on the desert is deceived in like 
manner by the same objects which they saw, and for 
similar reasons. 

Owing to its desert character and the sparsely set- 
tled state of the country, towns are few and business 
enterprises limited. The principal occupation is that 
of stock raising, which includes sheep, horses and 
cattle. It is yet an unfenced, open range country, 
where the cattle from the various ranches mingle in 
wild herds and roam unrestrained over the land. Be- 
cause of the scanty feed and scarcity of water the 
ranches are large and the houses far apart. The en- 



10 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

tire acreage consists of one vast pasture, with boun- 
daries that extend to tlie horizon in every direction. 
It is the land of the cowboy and roundup, and has a 
distinct life of its own. Eanch life on the desert is 
one of the attractions of the mesa country and is, of 
itself, well worth going to see. 

It is the home of several interesting tribes of In- 
dians, the Hopis, Navajos and Apaches, of whom men- 
tion is made in subsequent chapters. They still live 
in their own country, which has been their home from 
time immemorial, but their activities are now confined 
to reservations that are under government supervi- 
sion. 

The Painted Desert is also in the mesa country and 
is likewise a region of much interest. It is bisected 
by the Little Colorado River and is approximately 
two hundred miles long by one hundred miles wide, 
extending from the Grand Canyon in a southeast 
direction. Its surface consists of a succession of table- 
lands and sunken plains that are composed of highly 
colored rocks and soils, which give the landscape its 
peculiar gorgeous appearance. The petrified woods 
are found in this region, and the Black Forest is par- 
ticularly noted for its brilliant colors. 

The average elevation of the country is six thousand 
feet above the sea and it has unusually attractive scen- 
ery. The land is sparsely settled, and, from natural 
causes, must always remain wild. Its broad open 
spaces give a feeling of freedom that is unknown in 
a thickly settled community. Although in the tropics, 
its high altitude gives to the atmosphere a delicious 
tang of coolness that makes it an ideal summer 
climate. The air is clear and sparkling and presents 
shades of light and color that are rarely seen else- 



yucJT- ^ipf*v--^T 




^ 




Early Spring Freshet 




THE MESA COUNTRY 13 

where. A veil of purple haze covers the landscape, 
and imparts a velvety softness to the scene, that is 
enchanting. A calm is also in the air and deep silence 
prevails; yet many faint sounds fall softly upon the 
listening ear. The whole world seems to be asleep and 
in a iDleasant dream. 

The pure, dry air lends itself readily to the startling 
effects of the mirage, when the vision becomes mysti- 
fied and all objects appear exaggerated and distorted. 
In the field of vision covered by the mirage, things 
look unnatural and appear to be elevated and elon- 
gated perpendicularly, so that the grass is converted 
into trees, and the hills are enlarged into mountains. 
It is not clear just how the mirage is produced, or in 
what manner it is related to optics. It occurs most 
frequently during the summer months, in hot weather, 
when the sky is cloudless and the atmosphere tremu- 
lous with heat waves. There must also be the right 
elevation and angle of vision to produce this peculiar 
effect upon the sight. Suddenly the landscape is 
changed in appearance, and instead of dry land and 
scant vegetation, there appears a perfect picture of 
a lake of clear water, surrounded by a forest of shade 
trees that look refreshingly cool and inviting in the 
midst of the hot, dry desert. All nearby objects are 
distinctly reflected in the water, and it all looks so 
natural and real that it is difficult to believe that what 
the eyes see is only an ocular illusion. In the quiver- 
ing atmosphere and dazzling light, fixed objects ap- 
pear to be in motion, or seem to float upon the water 
"like ships that sail the ocean blue." 

Upon the dry playa or alkali flat in the Sulphur 
Spring Valley, between Willcox and Cochise, on the 
Southern Pacific Railroad, in Arizona, a perfect mirage 



14 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

lake can be seen almost any day in the year. Travelers 
upon the desert, where such phenomena occur most 
frequently, and where water is always scarce, are com- 
pletely deceived by its appearance, and have been lured 
to their death by following such a fleeting phantom, 
in an effort to find water with which to quench their 
burning thirst. The mirage is witnessed in various 
phases, but the water scene is its most common form 
and is, also, the most fatally deceptive. That the 
features observed in a mirage are very real and not 
hypnotic, as has been suggested, is clearly demon- 
strated by the camera. 

Royal purple is the prevailing color of the desert 
and every object in sight is tinged with a violet hue. 
Distance deepens the effect and the mesas and moun- 
tains are daily draped in varying shades of purple 
haze. Of all the nearby objects the sage brush shows 
this effect most vividly. The plant is often spoken of 
as the purple sage, as if purple were its natural color, 
which is not the case as it is a neutral gray-green. 
The purple color is not in the plant but in the at- 
mosphere which surrounds it. Every stalk of sage and 
of every other desert shrub is enveloped in a mist of 
amethyst, as if it were a generator of violet rays. This 
effect is not equally distinct at all times, as it is in- 
fluenced by locality, sunlight and atmosphere, and is 
only another form of mirage. Several years ago 
Lungren, the artist, painted a picture of the desert, 
that was reproduced in colors in the Outing Magazine, 
which presented this quality of desert coloration to 
perfection. 

The name of a recent book written by Zane Grey, 
entitled "Riders of the Purple Sage," has no clear 
meaning to the uninitiated reader, but is very signifi- 




Young Grove of Eastern Forest Trees in the Munk Arboretum for Testing 
Foreign Trees and Plants 




A California Booster 



THE MESA COUNTRY 17 

cant to those who are familiar with ranch life on the 
desert, and accustomed to horseback riding and herd- 
ing cattle in the chapparal upon the open range. The 
brilliant colors of the desert are unknown to the aver- 
age mortal, as only comparatively few people in the 
world's population have ever seen a real desert, or 
know what it means. 

A desert can only occur in a droughty land and the 
arid region of our great southwest is such a country. 
Upon the desert there are much sunshine, few clouds 
and little rain. During long weeks and months of dry 
weather, there is scarcely a cloud to be seen in the 
sky, or a drop of rain falls to the ground. Small 
showers falling from thin, horsetail clouds, are occa- 
sionally seen streaking the sky, but the air is so dry 
that the raindrops all evaporate and vanish before 
reaching the earth. However, there are times during 
the short rainy season when both clouds and rain are 
abundant. 

To the anxious farmer whose fields need rain, the 
sky, during a drought, looks like brass, but to the eye of 
an appreciative artist, it fairly beams with beauty. A 
magic spell is in the air, and the deep, blue vault of 
heaven seems filled with a soft mesh of fine gossamer 
web in a state of evolution. It is a brilliant sight but 
owing to the dazzling light of a tropic sun, should be 
viewed only with shaded eyes. After sunset a pink 
radiance steals over the eastern sky that is said to be 
the reflection of the desert, and is called the desert 
glow. It soon vanishes and is followed by the earth's 
shadow, in the shape of an immense dark arch span- 
ning the eastern sky, that quickly fades in the twilight 
and is soon lost in the night. 

When clouds form out of season they are apt to 



18 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

bring wind instead of rain, which sometimes develops 
into a disagreeable sandstorm. Its effects are un- 
pleasant for the time being, but the wind acts as a 
purifying agent, and after the storm has passed and 
the dust settled, the air smells unusually fresh and 
sweet. Little whirlwinds, called dust devils, which 
travel contrary to the sun, are frequently met in calm 
weather, but they never do any harm. 

After long waiting, but in due time, clouds begin 
to show in the sky with the advent of the summer rainy 
season, which happens during the months of July and 
August. Now, almost daily, cumulus clouds appear in 
great numbers and float lazily, in billowy masses 
across the sky. Except during a general rain storm 
that may last several days, but which does not happen 
frequently, the sky is invariably clear in the early 
morning, which is a good time for taking kodak pic- 
tures. There is also very little wind during the fore- 
noon, but in the afternoon there is always more or 
less breeze. After the clouds begin to form, seeming 
to come from nowhere out of space, they multiply rap- 
idly and soon cover the sky. They act very much as 
if obeying some unseen commander by falling into line, 
like platoons of soldiers on parade executing some 
military evolution. When the aerial army is fully as- 
sembled, it moves steadily forward in serried ranks 
and battle array, as if to meet an advancing foe. The 
columns of clouds converge and merge into a black 
nimbus cloud, when the battle begins. Bright streaks 
of lightning flash across the dark sky, and deep peals 
of thunder reverberate through the heavens that make 
the welkin ring. When the rain begins to fall, the 
patter of the flrst raindrops sounds like the scattering 
shots from the skirmish line in a real battle, but soon 




Laguna Canal 




Artesian Well 



THE MESA COUNTRY 21 

develops into the sustained roar of musketry and 
booming of artillery, when the rain pours do^^^l in tor- 
rents. The rain sometimes falls in solid sheets of 
water, which is called a cloudburst and sweeps away 
everything in its path, often causing much damage. 

There is usually a succession of fitful showers dur- 
ing the afternoon and evening, until tired nature, like 
a weary child, exhausted and tearful, sobs itself to 
sleep. 



CHAPTER II 

LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 

The land of the Cliff Dwellers embraces a wide 
scope of country, and includes much of the territory 
that is watered by the Colorado, Gila and San Juan 
rivers and their tributaries. The region takes in most 
of Arizona and portions of Colorado, Utah and New 
Mexico. These four states join one another at right 
angles and form a junction that is called the Four 
Corners, and is the only occurrence of its kind in the 
United States. At this point the San Juan River cuts 
through three states for a short distance. The country 
is yet a primitive wilderness and practically unex- 
plored. A unique feature of the region is the Navajo 
Mountain, which is a large dome-shaped mound stand- 
ing alone, that affords an unobstructed view from its 
summit of a vast wild country extending in every di- 
rection to the limit of vision. It is the sacred mountain 
of the Navajos, who are reluctant to have a white man 
visit it. It has recently been dedicated as a national 
park, but is too far out of the way to attract many 
visitors. 

Professor H. E. Gregory, in his book on "The Navajo 
Country," gives for the first time a full and accurate 
description of that strange but interesting land. He 
says: "The north-western part of the Western Nav- 
ajo Reservation beyond the farthest outpost is singu- 
larly inaccessible. The roads leading from New Mex- 

22 



^ 




Yuma 




Yuma Ferrv 



^( 



\ 



I:, 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 25 

ico and Arizona settlements to chief points within the 
reservation, though rough, are feasible for wagons. 
Roads have also been established along selected routes 
to reach newly established schools, trading posts and 
important centers of Indian population. The larger 
part of the reservation is, however, accessible only by 
trails and in the rougher areas no recognized routes 
of travel are to be found. Saddle horses and pack 
trains capable of making long day marches are neces- 
sary for the prosecution of geographic and geologic 
field work. To those unaccustomed to desert land the 
Navajo country presents in form and color and group- 
ing of topographic features, a surprising and fascinat- 
ing variety; those familiar with arid regions will find 
here erosion features of unusual grandeur and 
beauty. ' ' 

The best route for reaching the cliff dwellers' coun- 
try is from Gallup, New Mexico, on the Santa Fe Rail- 
way. Some freighting is done by wagon between Gallup 
and Kayenta, but the road is not much traveled. Ow- 
ing to the frequent doubling back and wide detours 
that have to be made in order to avoid rough ground 
and impassable arroyos, the distance by the wagon 
road is much greater than by an air line. What little 
road there is, is local and found only in spots where 
it has been made by some lone rancher or trader, and 
is apt to lead the traveler astray. There is never a 
good road, seldom a best one and most of the way no 
road at all. The traveler has to find his way by follow- 
ing in the direction that he wishes to go, the appear- 
ance of the country and his natural instinct. Kayenta, 
at the farther end of the road, is a frontier settlement 
of the old type, consisting of a single white family, a 
few Navajo hogans, a trading store and post office. 



26 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

It is one of the last settlements established on the 
western frontier, and is perhaps the farthest removed 
from the railroad of any town in the United States. 

Gallup is the best starting point for a trip into the 
cliff dwellers' country, as the road follows a string of 
trading posts, but is without a single hotel upon the 
entire route. The traveler who enters this region must 
depend on himself and provide his own outfit in ad- 
vance, or else make arrangements with some Indian 
trader to take him through. 

The first stopping place is Saint Michael's, Arizona, 
where the Franciscan Fathers have a mission and In- 
dian school. They have been established for many 
years and are doing a good work for the Indians. They 
are making a thorough study of the Navajos and have 
published a complete vocabulary and dictionary of the 
Navajo language. 

Here also lives S. E. Day, an early pioneer and civil 
engineer, who was a member of the Wheeler surveying 
party that explored the country west of the one hun- 
dredth meridian during the seventies. After this work 
was finished he decided to make the wilderness his 
home, instead of returning to civilization. He lived 
for many years at Chinle in Canyon de Chelly, where 
he gathered much valuable cliff dwelling material for 
the museums. Only recently he moved his family to 
Saint Michael's where he conducts a trading store and 
lives in peace and comfort. 

Ganado, Arizona, sixty miles northwest of Gallup, 
is the next stopping place and is the home of Hon. 
J. L. Hubbell, who has lived all his life on the frontier 
and is everybody's friend. He leads the quiet life of a 
patriarch in the midst of his famil}^ and possessions, 
and employs a large retinue of servants to do his bid- 




m 



Site of Old Fort Yuma, now an Indian School 




TIk i ui la lJcS(.'I't 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 29 

ding. Hubbell's is the only stopping place in a radius 
of many miles and is a favorite resort for travelers, 
scientists and artists wlio visit the Indian country to 
study and paint the desert. 

Chinle, at the mouth of Canyon de Chelly and 
in the heart of the Navajo country, is fifty miles north 
of Ganado. At this place is a government Indian 
school and the Franciscan Fathers have a branch mis- 
sion. It is a typical region of cliff dwelling abodes, 
and has many interesting ruins. A peculiar feature 
of the place is that in the stillness of the canyon, voices 
are sometimes heard of people talking who are not 
seen, which makes the place seem bewitched! and un- 
canny. The phenomenon is due to a peculiarity of the 
canyon, which has many angles that cause sounds to 
ricochet from cliff to cliff in a series of faint echoes 
which travel quite a distance before they completely 
die away. It is easy to fancy these shifting sounds to 
be the spirit voices of the departed dead lingering in 
the old haunts, as if to guard their cherished homes 
from desecration by curious strangers. 

The next and last station on the long road of nearly 
two hundred miles is Kayenta, the home of the Weth- 
erills. The Wetherill name has been familiar on the 
frontier for many years because of the activities in 
settlement work of a family of brothers by that name, 
who discovered the large cliff ruins on the Mesa Verde 
and in Lag-una Canyon. John Wetherill, the youngest 
brother, is in charge of affairs at Kayenta and is 
known as a warm friend of the Indian. His wife, also, 
is accustomed to frontier life and speaks the local 
language as fluently as a Navajo. She has improved 
her opportunity by gathering at first hand a rich store 
of Indian lore that is valuable to science; and she is 



30 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

frequently called to act as peace maker in settling dis- 
putes among the natives. By lier knowledge of Indian 
character and skillful diplomacy, she has succeeded in 
collecting a full set of drawings made on paper by a 
native artist of the wonderful sand paintings of the 
Navajos, which was not an easy thing to do as they 
never permit any of the paintings to be copied or car- 
ried away by a stranger. In their original form, these 
pictures are drawn upon smooth ground by touches 
of many kinds of colored sand sprinkled upon the 
earth by a practiced hand, and are truly marvelous 
creations. Each picture tells a different story and is 
only reproduced for some special purpose in the pres- 
ence and for the benefit of the elect. The drawing 
lasts but a day, when with a certain ritual it is oblit- 
erated, and the sand carried in blankets to a distant 
spot where it is deposited. 

The trail from Chinle to Marsh Pass, twenty-five 
miles beyond Kayenta, skirts the Black Mesa for a 
distance of one hundred miles. The edge of the mesa 
is a sheer cliff of from twelve hundred to two thousand 
feet high and presents a great variety of colors and 
erosion features that never lose their interest. Until 
recently Kayenta was even more inaccessible from the 
southwest than from the southeast, but not long ago 
the government built a wagon road through Marsh 
Pass which opened a way from the interior of Arizona 
to the Four Corners and beyond. 

Tlie Navajo Indians are now the principal occupants 
of !he land of the ancient cliff dwellers, where they 
have held undisputed sway for many centuries. They 
are yet a numerous people numbering over thirty thou- 
sand souls, and are the largest and last of the wild 
tribes. They do not live in villages, but move about 







A Wayside Camp 




Some Comfort in this Camp 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 33 

from place to place by families, as the mood takes 
them. They are a pastoral people owning many 
horses, sheep and cattle, which graze upon the open 
range ; but also grow some corn, fruit and vegetables. 
In summer they live under brush shelters and in win- 
ter live in rude houses called hogans. When they 
move, if possible they select a spot where there is 
plenty of grass, wood and water ; but water is always 
the paramount consideration. 

The Navajo is a fine type of Indian and makes a 
picturesque appearance. He is tall, straight and slen- 
der, has strong regular features, and is dignified and 
reserved in manner. His native costume consists of 
a colored tunic and a pair of white cotton trousers. 
He wears moccasins for shoes and ties his long, black 
hair in a knot on the back of his head. Many of the 
men are skilled silversmiths and the women are fam- 
ous blanket weavers. 

Indians have their peculiarities the same as white 
folks. Although habitually stoical and silent, they are 
sometimes caught unawares and lose their reserve. 
I noticed on several occasions that when a Navajo 
woman suddenly meets a stranger, or is surprised 
from any cause, she invariably raises her hand to her 
face, touches the finger tips lightly to her chin and 
utters a faint but audible ah! sound. The Navajo men 
also have this habit as well as the Hopi men and 
women. 

Like all Indians, they have frequent social gather- 
ings and hold many ceremonial functions, during which 
there is always much singing and dancing. When they 
meet on such an occasion they usually make an all 
night affair of it, and the performance continues un- 
interrupted to the end of the program. The Fire 



34 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

Dance is one of their notable ceremonies and is fully 
described by Dr. Washington Matthews in a govern- 
ment report. Some of the men have fine tenor voices 
which are trained to sing in a high falsetto key and can 
be heard distinctly for a great distance in the still 
night air. A tenor leads the singing mitil he becomes 
tired, when another man takes his place and by mak- 
ing changes from time to time, the performance is 
carried on continuously throughout the night, or it 
may be during several days and nights, depending on 
the importance of the occasion. 

The Navajos celebrate a summer festival at Ganado 
in August, following the Hopi snake dance, that lasts 
three days and nights. The natives gather from every 
direction on foot, horseback and in wagons, much like 
an old fashioned gathering of farmers at a county fair. 
The exercises consist of visiting and gossiping by the 
crowd, horse and foot races in the afternoon and sing- 
ing and dancing at night. The variety of bright colors 
and costumes displayed produces a brilliant effect and 
is an interesting sight to the visitor. 

Many of the white visitors who stay to see the fes- 
tival, while going to and from the snake dance, are 
the guests of Mr. Hubbell. At such a time the Hubbell 
mansion is crowded and those who cannot find a bed 
in the house have to take a shakedown out of doors. 
It is a picnic occasion and everybody is disposed to 
be satisfied with what he gets. Nobody ever goes 
hungry at Hubbell's. His dining room table seats 
thirty guests and the chairs are often filled two or 
three times during a meal. The host is particular that 
everybody is well fed and has some kind of a bed to 
sleep on. The novelty of the experience compensates 




>^^, 



K-r.i^ 



•■'.• -i* 



Oracle, a Health Resort in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson 











A Frontier Cabin 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 37 

for any trifling discomfort that the crowded condition 
occasions. 

Xavajo etiquette requires that the son-in-law does 
not see or speak to the mother-in-law. On one of my 
visits at Ganado I was present at such a festival. 
When the crowd began to disperse, my guide to Laguna 
Canyon asked me to see and bid good-by to his folks 
who were some distance away in a wagon ready to 
leave for home. As I had mot them I was only too 
glad to comply with his request and proceeded to exe- 
cute the mission. He did not accompany me and when 
I returned he apologized for letting me go alone, say- 
ing that he stayed away out of respect to his mother-in- 
law. The act shows that the Indian has more con- 
sideration for his family than some white men. 

The Navajo's remedy for all minor ills is the sweat 
house. It is a small structure resembling a hogan, 
but is half buried in the ground. It is constructed as 
nearly airtight as possible and a heavy blanket closes 
the entrance. Hot stones are placed on the floor in 
the middle of the room and sprinkled with water. This 
causes a steam that fills the house and soon produces 
profuse perspiration. Cold water is then dashed over 
the patient's body, which is followed by a brisk hand 
rub. The treatment is said to be both efficacious and 
popular. 

They also have special ceremonies for the severely 
sick, which are always in charge of a medicine man, 
who taxes the patient for his services in proportion to 
his ability to pay. If the patient has money but is 
reluctant to part with his wealth, or is too poor to pay 
the price himself, the master of ceremonies informs 
the patient and friends that relief cannot be obtained 
until money is paid, which usually brings the desired 



38 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

answer. The aboriginal doctor's medical and surgical 
methods are of the most crude and primitive sort, but 
he is the equal in pretense and conceit to his more 
highly educated white brother of the regular medical 
profession. He claims to be able to do everything and 
nothing stumps him, whether the patient lives or dies. 
The Xavajos are comparatively cleanly and healthy 
and have regular white teeth, but they have not yet 
learned the use of the toothbrush. On the border 
where they are in touch with the whites they are slowly 
changing by adopting some of the white man's meth- 
ods ; but in the interior where they are yet unspoiled, 
their habits and customs are much the same as they 
were one hundred years ago. 

The Navajos and Hopis, who live on adjoining reser- 
vations, are more fortunate than other Indian tribes, 
because their home is on the desert, where there is 
little good land for strangers to covet. The soil is 
fertile, but without water it is worthless, except for 
grazing a limited amount of stock. They also live far 
from the railroads and civilization, which protects 
them from the introduction of harmful influences and 
innovations. Before reservations were established 
there was no demand for public lands in the far west, 
and afterwards, homesteaders were barred out. Thus 
the Navajos have been left in possession of a vast 
domain of nearly ten million acres, covering fifteen 
thousand square miles of territory in three states, but 
mostly in Arizona. 

Another circumstance in their favor is that they 
have never received any annuity of money from the 
government for ceded lands, as they have never dis- 
posed of any land. It has always been the case that 
where any such money was paid to an Indian tribe, 




Dos Cabezas Peak 




Top of the World 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 41 

pay day broiiglit in a rough white element that was 
very injurious to the Indian, not only by robbing him 
of his cash, but what was much worse, in spreading 
civilized vice, crime and disease that meant his ruin. 

A gem stone of some value, knowai to the trade as 
the Arizona garnet, or ruby, is found in many places 
of the Navajo country. It is usually contained in little 
piles of gravel which are thrown up by the ants in 
building their subterranean colonies; but the stones 
are found in the largest number in the garnet mine on 
Comb Ridge, in Arizona, near the Utah line. There 
has never been any effort made to gather these gems 
extensively, or create a market for them. None of 
the precious metals have been found in any large quan- 
tity on the reservation to tempt a horde of eager pros- 
pectors to overrun and loot the land in search of treas- 
ure, or to disturb the Indians' peace and quiet. They 
are permitted to follow their honest occupations as 
farmers and herders in safety, and have not been cor- 
rupted to any extent by vicious strangers. 

The Navajos have done much to improve their con- 
dition, and even if their growth has been slow, it has 
been steady and sure. They have never suffered vio- 
lence to their established customs and what changes 
have taken place were made of their own volition. 
They know the value of money and are sharp traders. 
They borrowed many useful ideas from the Spaniards 
and their Pueblo neighbors, which have added much 
to their prosperity. 

I made a trip into the far Navajo Country during 
the month of August, in 1912, and was outfitted by 
Mr. Hubbell at Ganado with a wagon and team of 
horses, a saddle horse, guide and a full supply of 
provisions, cooking utensils and bedding for the trip. 



42 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

My guide was a Navajo Indian, named Grover Cleve- 
land, who acquired liis name while attending school. 
He was an outrider to find the road which I followed 
with the team and wagon. He spoke English fluently, 
was a congenial traveling companion and far better 
company than some white men with whom I have 
traveled on other occasions. 

Good rains had preceded us and the road was solid, 
except in places where the storm water had collected in 
low spots and soaked into the earth. In attempting 
to cross such a flat we got into trouble. The surface 
seemed to be dry and hard, but underneath the soil 
was soft and boggy. Suddenly the horses broke 
through the crust and sank to their knees in quick- 
sand, and the wagon plunged in after them up to the 
hubs. After some effort and considerable maneuver- 
ing the horses found firm footing and pulled the wagon 
out of the slough onto dry land when we went on our 
way rejoicing. Green grass covered the prairie every- 
where and water was plentiful. Small rain water lakes 
were numerous and a good camp ground was found 
almost any place where we chose to stop. 

During the summer rainy season of a normal year, 
these shallow lakes can be depended on for a supply of 
water, but at other times water is scarce, as there are 
but few streams of running water or dug wells in the 
country, and natural springs are few and far between. 
The soil is of a reddish color which stained the water 
to a similar hue, but it was soft and fit for use. Al- 
though there was much live stock grazing on the open 
range and drinking from the pools, yet we never found 
the water polluted. The sun shone hot during the day 
but the nights were cool. The weather was fine and 
we traveled in comfort. 




Los Feliz Road 




Southwest Museum, Los Angeles 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 45 

We reached Kayenta in safety, where we left our 
horses and wagon and changed to saddle horses and 
pack mules ; and, with John Wetherill as guide, made 
our final dash to Laguna Canyon and its cliff dwell- 
ings. We left the wagon road at Marsh Pass, twenty- 
five miles beyond Kayenta, and with a pack train, took 
the trail which led into an exceedingly wild and rugged 
country. The main canyon is winding and has many 
lateral gorges, all hemmed in by high walls of red sand- 
stone. Its floor is irregular and broken and our prog- 
ress was slow and confusing as to location and direc- 
tion. There was scarcely a foot of good road on the 
trail and we were compelled to pick our way through 
deep sand and dense brush thickets, and over rocky 
barriers that were almost impassable. The novice 
who finds himself alone in this wild region is soon 
lost, and even those who are familiar with the country 
sometimes lose themselves. 

At Kayenta I was told the story of how Laguna 
Canyon was formed. Originally the depression con- 
sisted of a number of marshy lakes which gave the 
canyon its name. It is the custom of the Indians liv- 
ing on the plains below to plant their cornfields in the 
spring and then depend on the summer rains to grow 
and mature the crop. About thirty years ago there 
occurred an unusual drought and the cornfields suf- 
fered accordingly. One day the owner of a field was 
heard to say that he wished it w^ould rain. It hap- 
pened that on the same day he had to go to the canyon 
to bring home a flock of sheep. While on his way a 
terrific thunder storm arose and the rain fell in tor- 
rents, which washed out the dam that held the lakes, 
when a flood of water rushed out over the plains and 
completely destroyed the cornfields. Indian supersti- 



46 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

tion immediately suggested witchcraft as the cause of 
the disaster, and fate pointed to the man who made the 
wish as the guilty culprit. In a few days the man was 
found dead, killed by his own kinsmen, as they believed 
that he was a witch. The incident would seem to show 
that it is never safe for a Navajo to make a wish, par- 
ticularly if the thing desired goes wrong. The tangible 
proof of the flood can yet be seen in the deep gullies 
which drain the canyon and by the dead willow trees 
that stand on the banks of the dry lakes. 

Six miles above the mouth of the canyon is the first 
large ruin, called Betatakin, or the Hillside House. It 
stands in an alcove on the facade of a high clitf, and 
is nearly hidden from view by a dense thicket of brush 
and forest trees. Several miles farther up the canyon 
is the largest house in this group of cliff dwellings, its 
name being Keet Seel, or the House of Broken Pottery. 
It also stands in a cavern of the canyon wall, but is 
easily reached by climbing up a long sloping talus. 
The ruin contains one hundred and forty-eight rooms 
and is in good state of preservation. Like all the rest 
of the cliff ruins its age is unknown, but presumably 
it is many hundred years old. A section of a large 
pine tree in good condition, measuring thirty-five feet 
long by two feet thick, and resting on two stone walls 
about fifty feet above the talus, was evidently used 
as a foot bridge. The log must have been lifted into 
place by hand power as there is no evidence of any 
other kind of force having been used. Over a high, near- 
ly vertical wall close by the ruin are the marks of an 
old traveled path, that has notches cut into the rock for 
the use of the hands and feet in climbing up and do^vn 
the dizzy height, and is known as the Moqui trail. Still 
farther up the canyon we found other smaller ruins; 







M 




Well Fed and Groomed 



■'^5-' *->^- 






' *i-«~ - ^" :" 



• »■*. -,'_ -I ■► .^'l 







rr^-J..: 






-■•^i^f -j: ■5J:::^.-«»ajfj 



TZT" «.~ v. ••»•,. 



Cow Ponies 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 49 

and unexpectedly dropped into the camp of Professor 
Byron Cummings, of the University of Arizona, who 
was engaged in directing excavating work and finding 
many valuable specimens of cliff dwellers' culture. 

The three principal groups of cliff dwelling ruins 
that have been discovered are located in widely sepa- 
rated sections of the country, namely, in Canyon de 
Chelly and Laguna Canyon in Arizona, and on the 
Mesa Verde in Colorado. There are small ruins in 
many other places, but these large ones are the best 
preserved and are typical of their kind. The cliffs 
upon which the houses are built are high and perpen- 
dicular, and sometimes even overhanging, but are al- 
ways massive and impressive. The houses are tucked 
aw^ay in shallow caverns from twenty-five to two hun- 
dred feet above the ground, in places where they are 
not readily seen. Some of the houses can be easily 
reached but others are inaccessible by any natural 
avenue. 

The caves which contain the houses are natural cav- 
erns made by weather erosion in the solid rock above 
the talus. The houses are built out of roughly squared 
stones laid in adobe mortar, and planned to fit the 
space of their rocky environments. The floor of the 
cave is rarely level, often sloping downward and out- 
ward. In order to obtain a level floor upon a solid 
foundation, the outer wall was begun on the sloping 
rock below and built up to the desired height. The 
irregular space behind the wall was covered by the 
floor and used as a store room. There is a great dif- 
ference in the size of the buildings, ranging all the 
way from a small house with a single room and only 
large enough for one family, to a large communal 
house of one hundred or more rooms, with enough 



50 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

space to accommodate an entire village. Near every 
cliff house is always found a permanent spring of good 
water, and a piece of moist land that is suitable for 
farming. 

The houses are all of similar design and plan of 
construction, and the location seems to have been se- 
lected with a view to its natural beauty, isolation and 
seclusion. These cliff dwellings are entirely different 
from the clitf houses found in the Parjarito Park and 
other places on the Rio Grande in New Mexico, which 
are of the cavate type, and cut out of soft tufa rock 
into artificial caves of one or more communicating 
rooms. 

The cliffs are remarkable not only for their size and 
striking appearance, but likewise for their elaborate 
decorations. They are frescoed from top to bottom 
by splashes of bright colors in the rocks and weather 
stains upon their surface. The walls are extensively 
carved and sculptured by nature, both in cameo and 
bas relief, into many kinds of tangible figures that 
resemble familiar objects. The work has been so well 
done and produced on such a vast scale that it gives 
the impression of having been wrought by an extinct 
race of giant mural artists. The Casa Blanca cliff in 
Canyon de Chelly is perhaps the best example of such 
mural decorations that we have. 

AVho were the Cliff Dwellers? is a question which 
has often been asked but never satisfactorily answered. 
Some claim that the ruins are quite modern, which if 
true, should readily establish their identity. Another 
opinion is that they were a much persecuted people 
who fled to the cliffs in self-defense. Such a belief, 
however, is purely an assumption as it does not con- 
form to the known facts. There is no evidence to show 




The Remuda. Horses Heading in to Avoid Being Caught 



» '^"fT' 







m 



Cowboys at a Roundup 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 53 

tliat these people were ever engaged in any serious 
battle, and the houses were apparently left fully fur- 
nished when their inmates departed. Many better 
positions for defense and more desirable as homes, 
according to our view, were available but refused, and 
only the particular cliff dwelling sites chosen which 
have been described. They doubtless had enemies the 
same as other people, but certainly not of the nature 
nor to the extent that has been claimed. They could 
easily have resisted any frontal attack, but might have 
been cut off from their supplies, when they would 
either have had to surrender or starve. Judging by 
their critical position they were in much greater dan- 
ger of dying from broken necks by falling otf the cliffs, 
than from being killed by a hostile enemy. The only 
plausible theoiy that seems to fit the facts is, that these 
locations were selected by deliberate choice, just as 
all people have chosen their homes in every free coun- 
try. They must have had artistic tastes and high 
ideals to build their homes amidst such picturesque and 
beautiful surroundings. They may not have measured 
up to our standard, but they at least deserve to re- 
ceive credit for what culture they possessed. 

What Dr. J. W. Fewkes has to say about the cliff 
dwellings in Laguna Canyon applies also to other cliff 
houses. "The ancients evidently chose this region for 
their homes on account of the constant water supply in 
the creek and the patches of land in the valley that 
could be cultivated. They may have been harassed by 
marauders, but it must be borne in mind that their 
enemies did not come in great numbers at any one 
time. Defense was not the primary motive that led 
the sedentary people to utilize the caves for shelter. 

"Again, the inroads of enemies never led to the 



54 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

abandonment of these great cliff houses if we can im- 
pute valor in any appreciable degree to the inhabi- 
tants. Fancy, for instance, the difficulty or rather im- 
probability of a number of nomadic warriors great 
enough to drive out the population of Kitsiel, making 
their way up Cataract Canyon and besieging the 
pueblo. Such an approach would have been impos- 
sible. Marauders might have raided the Kitsiel corn 
fields but they could not have dislodged the inhabi- 
tants. Even if they had succeeded in capturing one 
house but little would have been gained as it was a 
custom of the Pueblos to keep enough food in store 
to last more than a year. Only with the utmost diffi- 
culty, even with the aid of ropes and ladders, can one 
now gain access to some of these ruins. How then 
could marauding parties have entered them if the in- 
habitants were hostile? The cliff dwellings were con- 
structed partly for defense but mainly for the shelter 
afforded by the overhanging cliffs and the cause of 
their desertion was not due so much to predatory 
enemies as failure of crops or disappearance of the 
water supply. ' ' 

The Mission Fathers have diligently sought to gain 
some knowledge of the cliff dwellers from the old men 
among the Navajos, who are the custodians of their 
tribal legends, and have occupied the cliff dwellers' 
country for ages, but without success, as they all claim 
that they have no information on the subject. The 
early Spanish explorers, nearly four hundred years 
ago, found the ruins in much the same state in which 
they exist today, and there is seemingly no means of 
knowing just how old they really are. 

There is a strong presumption, however, that the 
Hopis are descendants of the cliff dwellers as they 



r 



1 




'fr *^i3<i 




Brandinj' Cattle 




Cowboys' Bedroom 



LAND OF THE CLIFF DWELLERS 57 

have many characteristics in common. Although the 
Hopis do not live in caves, they nevertheless live an 
isolated and separate life from the rest of the world 
and do not incline to mix with strangers. They live 
by themselves in stone houses upon high rocky mesas 
much the same as did the cliff dwellers in their caves 
on the cliffs, and are satisfied and contented with their 
lot and the life of their forefathers. Many induce- 
ments have been made to cause them to forsake their 
homes on the mesas and live in modern houses built 
by the government in the valleys below, but without 
success ; and the cliff dwellers must have felt the same 
attachment for their ancient homes that the Moquis 
feel for theirs at the present time. 



CHAPTER III 



IN HOPILAND 



On account of their many good qualities, the Hopi 
Indians of Arizona deserve to be called the Best People 
on Earth. The appellation, however, must not be ap- 
plied too literally as they are only a primitive and 
uneducated people ; yet they easily measure well above 
the average of human goodness. 

They are sometimes called Moqui, but their right 
name is Hopi. Although few in number, being less 
than two thousand all told and steadily diminishing, 
they have attracted wide attention and been written 
about more than any other aborigines. 

Hopiland is in the ancient Province of Tusayan on 
the Painted Desert of the mesa country in Arizona. 
Here these strange people have lived for centuries, 
and have successfully resisted all attempts to move 
them or drive them away. The region received its 
name of Painted Desert from the many bright colors 
seen on the landscape, and its irregular surface of 
mesa, plain, cliff and canyon shows its diversity of 
colors to good advantage. Nearly every kind of color 
is seen somewhere and the harmonious blending of its 
tints makes a fascinating picture. 

The Hopis live in stone houses in nine villages on 
three high rocky mesas that are extensions southward 
from the Black Mesa. The first two mesas have each 
three villages and the third mesa two. Counting from 

58 









7 5^?"^ 

j^; T^-. •^^^ 






Desert Vegetation 





Sahuara and ChoUa Cactus 



IN HOPILAND 61 

the east, they are designated as First, Second and 
Third, or East, Middle and West mesas. Upon the 
first or eastern mesa are located the three towns of 
Hano (also called Tewa), Sichomovi and Walpi; upon 
the second or middle mesa are the three pueblos of 
Mishongnovi, Shipaulovi and Shongopovi; and upon 
the third or western mesa are the two villages of 
Oraibi and Hotevila. Moencopi, the last but one of the 
oldest of the Hopi villages, stands alone and aloof 
from the rest and is little known. 

The Hopi towns are from seventy to one hundred 
miles north of the Santa Fe Railway, according to the 
difference in terminals and the road traveled. The 
distance from the first to the second mesa is ten miles, 
and from the second to the third mesa twenty miles. 
Moencopi is fifty miles northwest of Oraibi and ninety 
miles north of Flagstaff, near Tuba on the old Mormon 
road to Utah. 

In nearly every description of the Hopi villages only 
the first seven towns are mentioned, possibly because 
that number corresponds with the seven cities of 
Cibola which, in the early days, they were supposed to 
represent, or else Moencopi was so far distant that it 
was either lost or forgotten in a casual enumeration. 
Although Moencopi is but little known and seldom 
visited by strangers, because of its picturesque loca- 
tion, ample water supply and importance as a farm- 
ing center, it is of unusual interest. Hundreds of acres 
of fertile land are being cultivated in the Moencopi 
Wash by Hopis, Navajos and Americans, and the 
Hopis have again demonstrated their ability as farm- 
ers by their excellent work. What I saw of friendly 
competitive farming between these neighbors on my 
visit to Moencopi in 1917 was a revelation. As our 



&2 SOUTHAVEST SKETCHES 

driver, who was familiar with \oci\\ conditions, sen- 
toiitiously remarked, "The Moqnis have the others 
skinned a mile." 

All of the three mesas stand out as prominent land- 
marks, being from five to eight hundred feet above the 
adjacent plains. They are entirely devoid of vegeta- 
tion and all kinds of supplies have to be brought in by 
hand from a distance, and carried uji on steep, narrow 
foot paths, which requires much time and hard labor. 

Notwithstanding its desert character, the country is 
like a fairyland of enchantment. The view is equally 
pleasing from each one of the mesas and stretches 
away towards the south over a landscape of surpass- 
ing beauty. A wide valley intervenes between the 
viewpoint and the far off horizon, which is dotted in 
the summer time by green meadows, cornfields and 
peach orchards. The majestic San Francisco ^foun- 
tains loom up in the distance and the nearer mesas and 
Moqui Buttes help to make an attractive skyline. It 
is the dream of artists and poets, who make yearly 
visits to that land of enchantment, to study nature and 
receive new inspiration. 

The dwellers in Te^^a, the first village on the first 
mesa just above the Gap on the trail to Walpi, are dif- 
ferent from the rest of the llopis and speak a different 
language. They were refugees from the Rio Grande 
in New Mexico after the Pueblo rebellion of 1680, 
when they were adopted by the Hopis. In return for 
this kindness they pledged themselves to defend the 
Gap to the uttermost against all hostile intruders, and 
have faithfully kept their promise. The Hopis were 
the only pueblo people who escaped from that conflict 
unscathed. 

The Hopis are pueblo or village Indians who had a 



wmmm^m 



~^-^ ■'— i. .Jr.^ 



Wild Horses 




p %*^ 




A Proii table Induslry 



IN HOPILAND 65 

civilization long before Columbus discovered America. 
They are unusually gentle, patient and industrious 
and, as aborigines, possess qualities that make them 
a remarkable people. Considering the unfavorable 
conditions under which they live it is surprising how 
they manage to maintain themselves. The white man, 
with all of his boasted superiority, has failed to sus- 
tain himself when placed under similar circumstances. 
Some time ago the government sent a man from the 
east to teach these people how to farm, but the teacher 
soon found himself in trouble and had to call on the 
natives for help. The Hopis are thoroughly familiar 
with desert conditions, having experimented for cen- 
turies with the scant resources at their command ; and 
have found out in the hard school of experience how 
to make the best use of what little they have and the 
most of everything. 

They are farmers in the true sense of the word, as 
they get practically all of their living from the soil. 
Their main dependence is corn, which is their princi- 
pal field crop; but they also grow a variety of vege- 
tables and some kinds of fruit. Notwithstanding that 
they live far south it is not a tropic land, as the eleva- 
tion of one mile above sea level gives them a cool 
climate and a short growing season in which to mature 
their crops. The farms are far from their homes and 
the men have to travel long distances in going to and 
from their work. They are early risers, hard workers 
and not easily discouraged. The men and boys sing 
and whistle as they go back and forth, the perfect em- 
bodiment of happiness and contentment. 

They plant their corn in loose, sandy soil where even 
weeds will not grow, and the last place that a white 
man would select in which to plant anything. A hole 



66 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

is made in the loose soil with a sharp stick, the seed 
planted deep with many kernels in a hill and the hills 
far apart. They do not use horses, or plows and har- 
rows, but do all their farming by hand with crude home 
made implements. They stir the surface soil frequent- 
ly with a hoe into a blanket of dust mulch, which pre- 
vents evaporation and the rapid loss of moisture from 
the soil. By their method of dry farming and the help 
of an occasional shower during the rainy season, they 
usually succeed in maturing the growing crops. 

By hard work and careful management during the 
years of plenty, they acquire sufficient means to supply 
their modest needs. Out of their scanty hoard, they 
hold in reserve a portion of each year's crop against 
a possible famine, should there be a crop failure from 
drought, as sometimes happens. They have never asked 
or received help from any source and have fully dem- 
onstrated their ability to take care of themselves, if 
only their plans are not interfered with or their work 
interrupted by meddlesome strangers and foolish busy- 
bodies. 

Merely planting the seed and cultivating the soil 
does not insure a corn crop, but in addition the owner 
of a field has to be vigilant in guarding it day and 
night against the attacks of natural enemies, that are 
ever alert to share the crop from planting to harvest 
time. Temporary shelters are built of poles and brush 
in exposed places, where sentinels are posted to drive 
away any thieving ravens, rabbits or burros, that are 
always hungry and hunting something to eat. 

Old men who are not able to do hard work and 
sometimes women and children, act as sentinels to 
guard the fields from pillage. The rabbits are par- 
ticularly troublesome and ready to nibble the succu- 




Roosevelt Dam 





cji^'»V-''- 







Dedication of Roosevelt Dam 



IN HOPILAND 69 

lent com. As an additional protection a strong de- 
coction of native herbs mixed with canine ordure is 
made and sprinkled on the tender plants with a wisp of 
rabbit weed, when the rabbits will not touch them. 
Whether it is the taste of the noxious weeds or the 
smell of dog in the concoction that produces this ef- 
fect I did not learn, but it certainly does the work. 

When the corn is fully ripe it is gathered in baskets 
and carried to the house, where the ears are stacked 
up in ricks like cordwood against the walls of the 
storeroom and used as needed. It is ground into meal 
by the women, who sing softly as they grind the shelled 
corn in their crude handmills of metates and rubbing 
stones, and the flour is sifted in sieves of home manu- 
facture into various grades of fineness. The corn has 
many uses, but is mostly ground into meal and mixed 
with water into a thin batter which is spread by the 
naked hand on a hot stone or iron plate and baked into 
piki bread. The process is somewhat of an art that 
requires expert knowledge and skillful handling to 
avoid painful burns. When finished the piki bread 
consists of a stack of thin wafer cakes which resemble 
the tortillas of the Mexicans and are eaten in like 
manner. 

The peach was introduced by the Spaniards and soon 
came into general use among the Indians of the South- 
west. It is found in all the pueblos and is also exten- 
sively cultivated by the Navajos. The peach orchards 
are planted in sand dunes at the foot of the mesa, 
where the trees seem to flourish without receiving 
much care. The trees grow large and produce an abun- 
dance of good fruit. The people take a deep interest 
in the peach harvest and can scarcely wait until the 
fruit ripens. Some of it is eaten green or only half 



70 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

ripe, which s-ometimes causes sickness, especially 
among the children. In some years the peach crop is 
a failure, if killed by the frost, which causes great dis- 
appointment in the loss of a much needed food. 

The Hopis have always raised cotton and made their 
own cloth and clothing. With the introduction of the 
peach came the sheep, and ever since that time both 
cotton and wool have been used in making their textile 
goods. In Hopiland the men do the weaving, but 
among the Navajos it is done by the women. Each 
village has its own particular handicraft, but spin- 
ning and weaving are common industries in all of the 
pueblos. 

Pottery is made principally in Hano, where Nam- 
peyo, the famous woman potter, has a monopoly of 
the trade. The thick braided basket platters for hold- 
ing bread and meal are made at Mishongnovi, while the 
thin Kachina plaques that are used in ceremonies are 
made in Oraibi. Kachina dolls, tiles and baskets are 
common objects for gift and barter among the people. 

All Indians are close observers of nature and the 
Hopis are no exception to the rule. They know and 
study every tree and plant that grows in the vicinity 
of their homes and jBind out what it is good for. The 
same is true of the few wild animals which roam over 
their country, and nothing is too small or insignificant 
to escape their notice. Their resources are few, and 
supplies meager, and they are from necessity com- 
pelled to use everything which nature has placed with- 
in their reach. 

In selecting sites for their homes the Hopis adopted 
the skyscraper plan of living, by building their houses 
upon high rocky mesas with perpendicular cliffs, 
where they have the advantage of elevation and pure 




Head Gates 





Roosevelt Lake 



IN HOPILAND 73 

air, a commanding outlook and freedom from dust and 
flies. They have no elevators with which to lift them- 
selves up and down, but depend upon the primitive 
motive power of foot propulsion. Their houses are 
built of stone on the communal plan, but each family- 
lives in its own separate apartment. The rooms are 
usually plastered and whitewashed, being kept neat 
and clean. In former years all kinds of refuse was 
thrown into the streets, which made them dirty and 
vile smelling, while the houses were untidy and tilled 
with stale odors. During recent years all of this has 
been changed and the sanitation much improved. The 
streets are kept free from litter and the houses smell 
sweet and clean. Owing to the scarcity of water is it 
any wonder that these people are not quite as cleanly 
as they might be? 

Dr. Hector Alliot investigated the Hopis several 
years ago, and reported what he found in a series of 
interesting articles which appeared in the Los Angeles 
Examiner. He says: "Without visiting the country 
it is impossible to realize what water means in the 
desert of the Southwest. It is the traveler's chief and 
ever present thought, the all absorbing subject of the 
sheep herder; to the Hop! it is life itself. 

"How many people, if they had to carry a pail of 
water two miles to their homes, climbing 1,500 feet of 
rocky trail, would bathe every morning? Certainly not 
a great number, especially if by doing so they would 
dangerously lower the supply of drinking water. This 
condition of affairs the Hopi has had to contend with 
for centuries. Is it strange then, that cleanliness is 
an unknown quality among them?" 

Although general bathing is not practiced, baths are 
used on particular occasions. On the morning of the 



74 SOUTHAVEST SKETCHES 

snake dance everybody is expected to take the cere- 
monial bath of water and yucca soapsuds for its cleans- 
ing efficiency both physical and moral. At the same 
time the head is shampooed, when the woody fibers of 
the yucca root get mixed with the black hair, which 
gives it a gray appearance after it becomes dry. The 
child receives its bath while sitting in its mother's lap 
and the shampooing is done vigorously with both 
hands. The bath not only makes the child clean for 
the time being but its effects are supposed to last for 
an indefinite period. 

The Hopis observe woman's rights in an original 
and practical manner. The wife owns the house and 
controls the home. She also decides the family name 
and pedigree. Marriage is by mutual consent, but the 
woman proposes and not the man. When a girl wants 
to marry she ''pops the question" by offering some 
little gift to the man she loves, on some ceremonial 
occasion, preferably during the foot race which pre- 
cedes the snake dance. 

When a girl reaches the age of puberty her hair is 
done up in two large whorls above the ears by her 
mother or some other female member of the family, 
as the girl cannot do it herself. This style of coiffure 
proclaims her to be of marriageable age and in the 
matrimonial market. It is supposed to resemble a full 
blown squash blossom and signifies fruitfulness. Af- 
ter she is married, the style of wearing the hair is 
changed by twisting it into two coils that fall in front 
of the shoulders, which represent the dried squash 
blossom and means maternity. 

After a couple are married the husband goes to live 
with his wife instead of the wife with the husband 
as is our custom. The husband owns the flocks and 




On the Apache Trail 



■9^^ 







'§'4'' 




r 




ic • 






Laguna Dam Ir 


itake Gate 



•V 



IN HOPILAND 77 

fields, and only occupies the house by sufferance. If 
the match proves to be unsatisfactory the wife di- 
vorces the husband and there are never any court 
squabbles. She puts his few personal effects outside 
the door, and when he returns to the house and finds 
what has happened, he knows that he has lost his 
** happy home" and there is no appeal. However, he 
is still his "mother's boy," and when he is turned out 
of doors he picks up his traps and goes to his mother's 
house to live, until some other woman marries him, 
when he goes to live w^ith his new wife. 

The Hopis are a peace loving people and believe in 
peace at any price. They are contented and happy and 
only ask to be let alone and not disturbed in their home 
life. They are friendly to strangers but will resent 
interference and resist coercion. No vice or crime has 
ever been known to exist among them and they have 
no use for courts and jails. There are naturally some 
disagreements in a Hopi family, or they would not be 
human; but when any trouble does occur it is seldom 
seen on the surface, neither do they quarrel or fight. 
Wlienever anything serious threatens, the case is 
brought before a council of old men who arbitrate the 
difference, and their decision is accepted by all con- 
cerned, and is final. 

The parents are very fond of their children, and the 
sick and feeble are tenderly cared for. The children 
do not cry and are never rude, but are uniformly re- 
spectful and obedient. Compared with most white chil- 
dren they are shining examples of goodness that might 
be coveted. They are always good natured and kind 
and as playful as kittens. 

The Hopis have an interesting custom of making 
dolls to represent their Kachinas or deities that are 



78 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

given to the children to use as playthings. These dolls 
are also used to teach the children the attributes of 
their deities, which is a regular system of kindergarten 
instruction that was in vogue here long before white 
men adopted it in their schools. 

They have many different clans or societies, numer- 
ous kivas or lodge rooms, and their ceremonies are 
multiplied and varied. The white man prides himself 
on the number of his secret lodges and variety of re- 
galias and rituals. If these things are any evidence 
of superiority, then the Hopi far excels the Caucasian, 
as his round of lodge work is almost a continuous per- 
formance. Years ago Agent Charles Burton com- 
plained that he could not get the Indians to do any 
work, as they were always busy in their kivas, and had 
no time for anything that he wanted them to do. There 
is scarcely a day during the year in which some reli- 
gious ceremony, dance or festival is not on the docket. 
Perhaps their most remarkable performance is the 
ceremony of the winter solstice for stopping and turn- 
ing back the sun. 

If they want anything they believe that they can get 
it by praying. They attach great value to feathers, 
which represent their prayers, and are important fac- 
tors in their daily life. Some of their ceremonies are 
prolonged and complicated, and are thought to be ef- 
fective in proportion to the amount of time and effort 
involved. In the ordinary, every day prayer, the use of 
one or two small feathers is sufficient to bring a favor- 
able answer. A feather is tied to a stick and placed 
on some secret shrine or altar, where it remains until 
an answer is received, while the devotee goes about his 
daily task. A small prayer in the form of a little 
flutfy feather tied to a string, is often seen hanging 




9- 



Leader of the Pack Train 




Uncle vSam Hunting Hostile Indians 



IN HOPILAND 81 

from the ceiling of a room. They are very careful to 
always have plenty of feathers on hand for every 
occasion. 

The eagle and turkey are the two varieties of birds 
that furnish the feathers used. The eagle is their fa- 
vorite bird and its feathers are prized accordingly. 
They make a prisoner of every eagle that they can 
catch, but the bird is now very scarce. Instead of keep- 
ing it captive in a cage, they tie it by a cord on one foot 
and fasten it to the house top. When the eagle feathers 
are exhausted turkey feathers are used as a substitute. 

The native turkeys were once wild, but have been 
domesticated and are free to run in the streets, glad 
to pick up any scraps of food they can find. The 
turkey is considered sacred and its meat and eggs are 
not eaten, as their religion forbids it. However, they 
will sell the eggs to visitors if they have a chance, and 
do not object to strangers eating them. On my first 
visit to Walpi, in 1901, 1 recall that Supela, one of their 
head men, brought turkey eggs to our camp and sold 
them for twenty-five cents per dozen, which we were 
glad to buy and considered the price cheap. They also 
have some chickens, but these are for domestic pur- 
poses only, the same as w^e use them. 

The snake dance is the most noted and spectacular 
of all the Hopi ceremonies. It is a solemn religious 
rite and an elaborate prayer for rain. In a land of 
drought water is the supreme consideration, as it is of 
vital importance to all of the people. The snake dance 
is designed to help the water problem by causing rain 
to fall when rain is most needed and, surprising as it 
may seem, it is invariably followed by copious showers 
and general rejoicing. 

The dance that is advertised occurs once every year 



82 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

during the month of August, at Walpi in the odd years, 
and at Oraibi in the even years. The dance is an an- 
nual celebration and a public affair to which every- 
body is invited and to which everybody goes. It is 
sometimes given in some of the other villages, where 
the dance is a quiet, home affair and only attended by 
the home folks. These smaller dances are the most 
interesting as they are more typical of the ancient rite, 
and have not yet become modernized by commer- 
cialism. 

The legend of the snake dance states that a long time 
ago two brothers had a quarrel, when one of them was 
turned into a snake. When the other brother realized 
what had happened, he was deeply grieved and vowed 
to spend the balance of his life in pacifying his of- 
fended brother and his kindred. This legend is said 
to have been the origin of the Snake Clan and dance, 
and resulted in the kindly treatment of all members of 
the snake family. The snakes are considered to be in 
direct communication with the rain making power, and 
after the dance they become the messengers to carry 
the Hopi prayers to the rain god for more rain. 

Ceremonies are going on unceasingly during nine 
days of fasting in the sacred underground kivas and 
culminate in the final event of the snake dance in the 
open plaza. In the meantime hunters are sent out to 
gather snakes, who bring in, from their four days' 
search, from one to two hundred reptiles of different 
kinds, but mostly of the rattler variety. The rattle- 
snake is symbolic of a rainstorm. The spots on its 
body typify clouds, the forked tongue lightning and 
the rattles thunder. After the serpents are gathered 
and carefully washed, they are herded in a corner of 
the kiva to be in readiness for the snake dance. At 










Fort Apache 




Road to Fort Apache 



IN HOPILAND 85 

five o'clock in the afternoon of the ninth day of the 
ceremonies, the real snake dance begins in the public 
plaza and lasts about an hour. 

Before the dancing starts the snakes are removed 
from the kiva to the kisa, an enclosure made of cotton- 
wood boughs and cloth on one side of the plaza, from 
which they are handed out to the dancers, one at a 
time as they pass by. The Antelope priests are the 
first to leave their kiva, and in paint, feathers and full 
regalia, file into the plaza and take their places in a 
row in front of the kisa, facing inwards. They are 
soon followed in like manner by the Snake priests who 
number about thirty. These men step out with much 
vim and vigor in a regular furiosant march of swift, 
long, strong strides that stop at nothing, and the 
luckless pedestrian who happens to get in their way 
is apt to be knocked down and run over. 

After circling the plaza a number of times they form 
a line in front of and facing the Antelope priests. They 
all now begin singing in unison a most impressive 
chant to the soft, rhythmic patter of moccasined feet 
beating time to the music, which is repeated. The 
Antelope men also keep time with gourd rattles that 
are held in the hands, while the Snake priests mark 
time with tortoise shell rattles fastened to the ankles. 
The feather snake whips are used as batons. Follow- 
ing a brief pause, while the Antelope men remain 
standing in line, the Snake men break ranks, form into 
groups of three, and march in front of the kisa. As the 
trio of dancers approach the kisa, a snake is handed 
out which a member of the party takes and holds sus- 
pended from his mouth, while the real dance begins 
and continues at a furious pace until all the snakes 
have been served. 



86 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

The man who holds the snake in his mouth is called 
the Carrier. The second man, known as the Hugger, 
walks by the Carrier's side with his left arm thrown 
over his shoulders, and with his right hand fans the 
snake with a feather whip. The third man of the 
group, called the Gatherer, follows the other two and 
picks up the snakes after they are dropped. At the 
close of the dance the snakes are all thrown into a heap 
inside the mystic circle of sacred meal in the center of 
the plaza, where they are sprinkled by the women with 
more of the same kind of meal. Each dancer now 
reaches down and grasps a handful of the serpents and 
starts off on a fast run across the mesa and down the 
trail to the plain below, where he gently drops the 
snakes one at a time, when they are supposed to go on 
a journey and carry the message to the rain god for 
rain. After distributing the snakes the men return to 
the mesa and take the snake medicine, which acts as 
an emetic; then their bodies are washed with more of 
the same fluid by the women. They then retire to their 
kiva and break their long fast by a feast of good 
things, which ends the ceremonies. The men who 
handle the snakes are sometimes bitten by the rattle- 
snakes but receive no injury, as their antidote, which 
is applied both internally and externally, makes them 
immune to the poison. It consists of a decoction made 
from native herbs, the ingredients of which are only 
known to the Snake priestess, Saalako. 

These men are experts in handling venomous rep- 
tiles and seem to have taken lessons from the eagle. 
When the eagle attacks a rattlesnake he does not swoop 
down upon it and grab it at once, but waits until he 
prepares his victim for the slaughter. If the snake is 
coiled, which indicates its fighting mood, he hovers 








y^.^J 



M?w.'/ '/I 





Apache Wickiup 




Apache Squaw 



IN HOPILAND 89 

above it in the air and gently fans it with his wings, 
just as the Hopi does with his feather whip, which 
soothes its anger. After it uncoils and starts to run 
away, he safely grasps it in his talons and carries it 
to some perch, where he kills it and disposes of it at 
his leisure. 

The Hopis have over three hundred Kachinas, and 
hold many Kachina dances during the year. On one 
of my trips to the Hopi villages, in July, 1908, I hap- 
pened to arrive at Walpi during one of these dances. 
It was given by thirty-five Hopi men from Moencopi, 
who traveled eighty miles on foot to visit their Walpi 
kinsmen and celebrate the dance. The visitors were 
the gTiests of the village during their stay and were 
lavishly entertained. The ceremonies occupied three 
days and were full of action and interest. 

The dancers were elaborately and gorgeously cos- 
tumed and the exercises serious and dignified. The 
costumes were all alike and consisted of a face mask, 
a head dress of feathers, a gray collar made of pine 
needles, black velvet tunic and the regulation brocaded 
sash and kilt, and beaded moccasins. The meeting was 
on the open plaza and free to all who wished to attend. 
The dancers were a fine looking lot of men and went 
through their evolutions with ease and precision. Only 
the visitors participated in the dance, who acted under 
the command of a local board of caciques. During 
intervals of rest between dances, the men visited by 
themselves at a separate spot on the open plaza and 
ate ripe apricots, which they had brought with them 
from home, in boxes. The council of old men sat in 
a circle at an open meeting, smoking cigarettes and 
conversing in undertones, as if they had secrets to tell 
which they did not wish strangers to hear. 



90 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

Supela is regarded as one of the big men among 
the Hopis and is, indeed, very wise. He is familiar 
with the secret rites and rituals of all the various clans 
and is consulted on all difficult points of order. He is 
now old and feeble, but is still full of grit and persists 
in trying to do something. The last time I saw him 
was at the snake dance at Walpi in 1915, when he ap- 
peared with the marching Snake priests in the dance, 
but he soon found that he could not keep up, and had 
to quit. 

Saalako, his wife, is also a remarkable woman. She 
is the chief Snake priestess of all Hopiland and holds 
the secret and prepares the mixture of the wonderful 
snake medicine, which is used in all of the pueblos. 
By birthright her son Kopeli became head Snake priest 
of the Walpi clan and was the greatest leader the so- 
ciety ever had. He died several years ago compara- 
tively young, when his younger brother Harry took his 
place. 

The snake dance may be a barbarous practice, but 
the participants in it are just as earnest and sincere 
as is the Christian in his religious devotions. Their 
facial expression denotes earnestness and consecra- 
tion. I saw an unusual manifestation of this spirit at 
the ceremony held at Mishongnovi in 1915, on the day 
previous to the Walpi dance. A Snake priest, wrapped 
in his blanket, came up out of the kiva, walked slowly 
to the edge of the mesa and with eyes closed and head 
bowed, knelt down and engaged in silent prayer. A 
white devotee could not have done it more impressive- 
ly. Their mode of worship is entirely different from 
ours and shows the difference in people. We think 
other people queer who are not of our faith and prac- 
tice and they think the same of us. 







Our Apache Neighbor 




An Apache Camp 



IN HOPILAND 93 

The dance hold at Mishongnovi was the best of four 
dances that I have seen. It was more of a home affair 
and given for a serious purpose. Besides the unusual 
sight of seeing a Snake priest engaged in prayer, an- 
other incident happened which was also out of the 
ordinary. During a pause at the beginning of the 
dance several Snake men met in a brief consultation. 
Directly one of their number walked out among the 
spectators and spoke to a stranger, who followed him 
into the kisa, where he proceeded to hand out the 
snakes like an old hand at the business. He was evi- 
dently recognized as a Snake brother from one of the 
neighboring villages who was attending the perform- 
ance as a modest visitor. When his presence was dis- 
covered, he was asked to assist in the ceremony, which 
was a fine act of courtesy. 

Another feature of unusual interest was a huge bull 
snake that was used in the dance. It was as thick as 
a boy's arm and over six feet long, and was all that 
two menicould handle. When held in the usual position 
by the dancer, its tail dragged on the ground. Its 
bite was harmless, but it possessed wonderful strength, 
which kept its captors busy to control it. I also saw the 
strange sight of an albino Antelope priest who had 
light hair and fair skin, and was leader of the Ante- 
lope Clan. Albinos are common among the Hopis, but 
it is seldom that one acquires the distinction of be- 
coming a leader. 

As a people the Hopis are very conservative and 
slow to make any changes either in custom or costume. 
Because of their steadfastness of purpose, and per- 
haps, too, on account of their remoteness from civiliza- 
tion, they retain more of their originality than do any 
of the other tribes. Influences, however, have been at 



94 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

work for many years to induce them to make changes, 
which have been partially successful, by dividing them 
into two factions that are known as the Friendlies 
and Hostiles. The former are willing to alter their 
mode of living and adopt modern methods, while the 
latter oppose any change and prefer to follow strictly 
in the footsteps of their fathers. 

In 1907 the dispute between the two factions in 
Oraibi, where the feeling was most intense, grew so 
bitter that it resulted in an open rupture and separa- 
tion. Fully one half of the population seceded and 
moved out to a new location at a spring six miles away 
and built the village of Hotevila. There the hostiles 
are now gathered in a last effort to resist the demon 
of change and to preserve, if possible, their original 
independence and purity untarnished. 

A difference is already noticeable in the conduct of 
the members who comprise the two factions. The hos- 
tiles practice the same simple life which they have 
always lived, with all that it implies of honesty, fru- 
gality, industry and hospitality, and hold sacred the 
customs and traditions that have been handed down. 
from the past. The friendlies, on the other hand, are 
willing to make changes and are becoming modernized. 
They are apt pupils in many things, but their ig- 
norance and simplicity are not always sufficient to 
discriminate properly between the good and the bad 
when they are sometimes victimized by unscrupulous 
whites. 

On my first visit to Walpi in 1901, where the change 
has been greatest, our party of four rented from a 
friendly a government built vacant house, at the foot 
of the mesa, for the sum of one dollar and fifty cents 
for the four days of our expected stay. Much to our 




Drawing Rations 











Starting for Home 



IN HOPILAND 97 

surprise the landlord called each day and collected his 
rent in the same amount. We regarded the additional 
tax as an imposition but concluded that we could better 
afford to pay the demand than to dispute the claim. 
Our landlord also seemed to think that we ought to 
furnish free lunch for himself and friends whenever 
they called, and the number of visitors who came daily 
about meal time was numerous, but here we drew the 
line, and the hungry horde got nothing. 

A hostile under like circumstances would not have 
violated his pledge nor disgraced their traditional hos- 
pitality by asking or taking any gifts or money. A 
friendly will not even stand for a picture unless he 
is well paid in advance. Here again a hostile will not 
compromise himself, and either shows indifference to 
the proceedings, or quietly turns and walks away. On 
the last day of our stay, the landlord called as usual 
for his rent on his way home from the field, with two 
burros loaded with corn fodder that made a tempting 
snapshot. One of our party wished to take a picture 
of the cavalcade, but was asked first to agree on a 
price. The sum demanded was exorbitant and no 
agreement was reached. While the negotiations were 
in progress I was busy about the camp, but not so 
much occupied that I did not notice what was going 
on and unobserved got a good picture without cost. 
I considered this "extra" nothing more than right 
and just, in order to break somewhere near even on 
the house deal. 

As an illustration of the Hopis' natural goodness 
I will cite but a single instance. During my stay in 
Oraibi at the snake dance in 1902, I was asked by a 
hostile to see a sick boy. Upon leaving the house the 
mother offered me a boiled ear of green com which 



98 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

was then in season. Its intrinsic value was small, but 
not to be outdone in courtesy by a heathen, I accepted 
the gift with thanks. It doubtless meant much to the 
giver, as she was poor, and the ear of corn, or its 
equivalent, might be sorely needed before another 
corn crop could ripen. The act not only showed hon- 
esty and a desire to meet an obligation, but was also a 
generous act of courtesy, that denoted appreciation 
and betokened genuine hospitality. 

The children are being taught in schools located in 
the several villages and in a large government school 
in Keam's Canyon. The curriculum includes sanita- 
tion, modern cooking and neatness in housekeeping. 
The girls are particularly benefited by this training, 
as it fits them for domestic service which they readily 
find in white families after they leave school. 

On my trip to the snake dance in 1915, I had an op- 
portunity to observe some of the practical benefits of 
such training. Two Hopi girls were employed by 
young Lorenzo Hubbell, who keeps a trading store at 
Keam's Canyon, and entertains travelers going to 
and from the Hopi villages. Their positions involved 
much responsibility, as guests were going and com- 
ing continually. They had full management of the 
house and conducted its affairs in their own way, and 
seemed to give entire satisfaction to all concerned. 

The Navajo girls are receiving similar instruction 
with like good results. At the home of the elder Hub- 
bell at Ganado, three Navajo girls were employed as 
house maids, who also gave good service. The native 
help is satisfactory if properly treated. Patience and 
kindness work wonders in stimulating honest efforts 
and creating a desire to please. With good treatment 
the Indian girls are usually contented, but harsh treat- 











-:>ii 



A Happy Family 




Apache Mother and Child 



IN HOPILAND 101 

ment makes them homesick and morose, when they 
soon quit and go home. 

Visitors going to the snake dance usually leave the 
railroad either at Gallup, Holbrook, Winslow or Flag- 
staff. They often go in parties, but must be prepared 
to camp out, as there are no hotels or other stopping 
places on the road. The Gallup route seems to be pre- 
ferred by many as it affords the best facilities. A stop 
at Hubbell's is alone worth the trip. Anybody who 
has the good fortune to receive the hospitality of this 
home will not be disappointed, as the host knows how 
to entertain friends and takes the very best care of 
his guests. His never failing kindness and generosity 
are above praise, and are doubly appreciated in a 
country where everything is new and the conveniences 
and comforts of travel are yet few. 



CHAPTER IV 



THE FLAGSTAFF KEGION 



Flagstaff, Arizona, is located in a natural park of 
pine trees near the base of the San Francisco Moun- 
tains, which are nearly thirteen thousand feet high 
and the highest mountains in the state. Its elevation 
is seven thousand feet above the level of the sea, and 
it is blessed with an exceptionally fine climate, that is 
favorable to an all-year-round residence as well as an 
ideal spot for camping out. Many visitors go there 
every summer to spend their vacations in an outdoor 
life among the pines. The altitude is stimulating and 
the atmosphere exhilarating and always full of the 
sweet fragrance of pine. The air is cool and bracing 
and evaporation active, which adds much to the physi- 
cal comfort. Weeks and even months can be spent in 
pleasant and profitable sightseeing without exhausting 
the field. But the town needs a good hotel; and the 
neglected and untidy appearance of its streets gives 
the impression to a stranger that its leading citizens 
have not improved their opportunities as they might 
have done. 

It is a region that has more diversified life than any 
other place on the globe, as each one of seven different 
life zones is represented. Upon the near desert are 
found plants and animals that are natives of the 
tropics, and by a gradual rise in elevation each succes- 
sive life zone is populated by a flora and fauna of its 

102 




Munk Ranch 



t: ■ 




Ranch Corrals 



THE FLAGSTAFF REGION 105 

own, that culminates in specimens of Arctic life on top 
of the San Francisco Peaks. 

Tropic life made its way there from the Sonoran 
Desert, through the Grand Canyon, and its Arctic life 
was imported from Labrador on the ice during the 
Glacial period. Other life that is found in one or 
more of the different zones came from intermediate 
sources, so that not a single link in the chain is miss- 
ing. The region is especially noted for its variety of 
insect life, and students of entomology are invariably 
referred there by teachers and experts in that branch 
of science. 

Above six thousand feet of altitude the rainfall is 
sufficient to grow trees and the Coconino forest, upon 
the Colorado Plateau, is one of the largest woodlands 
in the w^orld. This wooded country forms a large 
aboreal island in the midst of a gray desert, that makes 
it doubly attractive. To tind so many different life 
zones thus closely associated within the small radius 
of twenty-five miles, is something unique and unex- 
pected in life distribution. 

The greatest natural attraction in the vicinity of 
Flagstaff, or in the world, is the Grand Canyon of 
Arizona. People who are not familiar with the geog- 
raphy of our country sometimes confound the Grand 
Canyon of the Arkansas River in Colorado with the 
Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in Arizona. 
There is only one Grand Canyon and that is the Grand 
Canyon of Arizona. 

There can be no question as to the largeness of the 
great gorge, as it has been pronounced many times, by 
competent judges, to be the greatest natural wonder 
in the known world. It was built on such a vast scale 
that it has established a new standard in dimensions, 



106 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

to which the senses have to be reeducated in order to 
fully comprehend its meaning, and that requires time. 
But as big as it is, by comparison it is only like a pin's 
scratch in the earth's crust. The Canyon has never 
been adequately described nor, indeed, ever will be, 
although it seems to be more written about than any 
other object in the universe. 

The Pacific slope had many upheavals and submer- 
sions in its ancient sea bed, during its millions of years 
of evolution into a continent. Being a volcanic region, 
it was frequently disturbed by seismic action, that ex- 
tended over a wide territory during long periods of 
time, and doubtless had something to do with the 
origin of the Grand Canyon. The entire Southwest 
is seamed with fissures of similar character, but made 
on a much smaller scale, of which Canyon Diablo, 
thirty miles east of Flagstaff, is a good example. The 
country is nearly flat, and under a thin layer of soil 
rests a thick bed of limestone. In this rock are many 
long deep fissures that make cross country driving 
very difficult. Where these crevices occur in low places 
they are called "bottomless pits" and serve as drain- 
age canals to carry off the storm water during the 
rainy season, that finds an outlet in some far off valley 
or deep canj'on in a permanent spring or rivulet. 

Two miles east of Canyon Diablo is a modern fissure 
that was made in recent years and has a history. It 
is an exact replica of the older ones, as they all look 
alike. During the summer of 1887 a number of earth- 
quake shocks were felt in Arizona and Sonora, when 
some new fissures were reported. It was believed at 
the time of the occurrence, that some volcanic erup- 
tions had also taken place, as great columns of smoke 
were seen in the distant mountains, but investigation 




Cattle under Herd at a Roundup 




." -'_»>^ j»~»J 



'"''■^■k'!i*''*'^'*'*'*^^^ 








.v^-^S* 







*.'.j!te 



'viK ■- •U.H'vb.M 



Open Range Horsu Pasture 



THE FLAGSTAFF REGION 109 

failed to locate any new crater. The smoke, it was 
ascertained, had been caused by forest fires ; and 
clouds of dust, which looked like smoke, were produced 
by landslides caused by the trembler. 

I was at Canyon Diablo in 1901, where I first met 
F. "\V. ^^olz, who had lived there many years and was 
familiar with the country. He told me about the new 
fissure, and we rode out together one day to see it. 
The cleft was readily located and proved to be from a 
few inches to several feet wide. Mr. Volz stated that 
he had followed the aperture nearly one hundred miles 
north to the Hopi village of Mishongnovi on the second 
mesa. The Indians, also, recall this occurrence and 
speak of the surprise and alarm which it gave them. 
The bed rock was split irregularly in a zigzag course 
and some broken pieces of rocks were displaced. I 
sounded the depth of the fissure in a number of places 
with an improvised plummet, by tying a piece of rock 
to a one hundred and fifty foot bed cord. The line 
was dropped into the crack to its full length without 
touching bottom. 

Six miles south of Sunshine Station on the Santa Fe 
Eailroad and ten miles southeast of Canyon Diablo, is 
a large flat topped mound that has an unusual crater. 
When first reported it was commonly called Coon 
Butte, but is now better known as the Meteorite Moun- 
tain. The mount rises two hundred feet above the 
level of the surrounding plain, and its bowl shaped 
crater is six hundred feet deep and a mile wide. There 
are eleven acres of level land at the bottom of the 
hole. It is not a volcanic crater, but was caused by 
the impact of a mammoth meteorite, or asteroid, which 
fell out of space and struck the earth at that point. 
Millions of tons of fine white sand, which is pure silica, 



110 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

are piled up on the rim above the tilted rocks that 
were ground to a fine powder by the crushing blow and 
thrown out of the big hole by the terrific force of the 
impact. This sand is not of the ordinary kind but is 
finer than bolted flour and absolutely without any grit. 

About ten tons of meteorites of different sizes, vary- 
ing from the fraction of an ounce to one ton in weight, 
have been gathered in the vicinity of the mountain, 
the smaller pieces lying close in and the largest piece 
as far as eight miles out. These fragments were torn 
from the great meteor during its passage through the 
air, and before the large mass buried itself in the 
earth. The meteorites are almost pure iron, but also 
contain traces of nickel, cobalt, platinum, iridium and 
diamonds. The fact that meteorites contained dia- 
monds was first discovered by Dr. Foot of Philadel- 
phia; and later Sir William Crookes of London an- 
nounced that their presence in the meteorites proved 
that diamonds were of celestial origin. Although the 
meteorites are only slightly, if at all, magnetic, there 
are many small pieces of magnetite which are dead 
sparks from the meteor, scattered plentifully over the 
earth in the meteoric zone, that are highly magnetic 
and possess marked polarity. I obtained several of 
these magnetic pieces from Mr. Volz picked from two 
barrels full standing in his door yard, to demonstrate 
this wonderful force of nature in an unexpected 
manner. 

A few years ago a company was formed by Profes- 
sor S. J. Holsinger, to explore the crater and ascertain 
the exact nature of its contents. The company encoun- 
tered many difficulties and made slow progress. Un- 
fortunately the work was never finished owing to the 
untimely death of Mr. Holsinger. The first excavations 




Tyuonyi 




Ceremonial Cave 



THE FLAGSTAFF REGION 113 

proved nothing conclusive, but the final borings made 
with a diamond drill were successful. Several holes 
were sunk in the bottom of the crater, the last one 
being twelve hundred feet deep, in which the drill 
struck an unusually hard substance and brought up a 
three foot core of meteorite. It was almost impossible 
to penetrate the metal on account of the presence of 
diamonds, which destroyed the cutting edge of the steel 
drill to such an extent that it had to be removed 
frequently and sharpened. This discovery established 
the fact that the crater was caused by a meteorite, but 
the size of the ore body has not been determined. 

The volcanic field of the San Francisco Mountains 
is only one of several large areas of a similar character 
in the Southwest. Extensive lava flows exist both east 
and west in New Mexico and California. Thick beds 
of black lava can be seen from the car window in many 
places along the Santa Fe railroad as the train speeds 
by. It has been estimated that there were at least five 
successive periods of eruption, of which the last one 
occurred about ten thousand years ago. In the vol- 
canic field of the Flagstaff region are three hundred 
extinct volcanic craters, and piles of cinders and lava 
that are hundreds of feet deep, cover three thousand 
square miles of territory. The volcanic cones range 
from a few feet high to mountain peaks that reach 
thousands of feet into the sky. None of the volcanoes 
are active at the present time, nor have been in recent 
years, but it is entirely possible for them to revive 
again at any time in the future. Volcanic ash is 
mingled with the soil in this region, which makes the 
land unusually fertile and productive. 

The lava slag and cinders look as fresh as if they 
had come out of the furnace only yesterday. There is 



114 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

something remarkable about the preservative proper- 
ties of the pure dry air of the desert that retards de- 
cay and the aging of natural objects to a wonderful 
degree. To this cause is attributed the well preserved 
cliff dwellings and their contents, that have been in 
ruins for centuries. Impressions made upon the virgin 
soil are also slowly effaced, and the tracks of vehicles 
and large animals can be traced in the earth for a long 
time, even after the land has been deluged by torren- 
tial rains. 

Next to the San Francisco peaks, and situated four- 
teen miles northeast of Flagstaff, is a smaller group 
of mountains that are of much interest. Prominent 
among them is O'Leary's Peak, but Sunset Mountain 
is the most conspicuous on account of the bright halo 
of sunset glow that covers its crest at all times and 
can be seen at any hour of the day whether there is 
sunshine or not. The halo is produced by a combina- 
tion of three kinds of colored volcanic rocks, white, red 
and yellow, that line the rim of the crater. A few 
straggling pine trees grow on its brow and some large 
trees stand in the bottom of the hole. The trees look 
weird and out of place amidst their desolate surround- 
ings, where the furnace fires even yet do not seem to 
be fully extinguished. Its western aspect is indented 
by a shallow ravine, that is sometimes used as a trail 
for climbing to the top. At its base, and extending 
northwestward towards O'Leary's Peak are large 
beds of lava and great piles of cinders that are sepa- 
rated by a distinct line of demarcation, as if it had 
been done by the intelligent hand of man. Midway be- 
tween the two mountains is a large circular hole in the 
cinders that is called the Black Crater and was once 
the source of a big lava flow. 




Head of the Rito 




Pueblo Dance, Acoma 



THE FLAGSTAFF REGION 117 

I visited this region for the first time in 1902, when 
I climbed to the top of Sunset Mountain. I did not 
follow the trail but went up the north side all the way 
in loose cinders. The footing was insecure, which 
made climbing laborious and slow, as I sank to my 
knees at every step, but I took my time and struggled 
on until I finally reached the top. The view from the 
heights is magnificent and was well worth the effort, 
as it gave an extensive view of the whole volcanic field. 

Another peculiarity of the region is some ice caves 
that seem to be connected with the volcanic conditions, 
but have never been fully investigated or described. 
Ice caves in general are unusual and of infrequent 
occurrence. Mark B. Carr, in a Sierra Club Bulletin 
of 1903, describes an ice cave in the Modoc lava beds, 
and the Flagstaff ice caves are of a similar character. 
The largest of these caves is located eight miles south- 
Avest of Flagstaff and is a cavern of considerable sizQ, 
large enough at least for people to get lost in, as has 
happened on more than one occasion. 

The cave has been known for many years and has 
furnished much ice for domestic use, when the com- 
mercial article was not available. New ice has never 
been known to form in the cave and where the ice 
has been removed it never reforms in the empty space. 
During recent years a large reservoir was built near 
the ice cave, by a mill company, for storing water. 
From this dam water is filtering into the cave and 
slowly melting the ice. 

Another ice cave is found in the lava bed at the foot 
of Sunset Mountain, in the midst of an inferno of vol- 
canic debris. The entrance is through a sloping tunnel 
m the lava which is large enough to admit the body of 
a man in a stooping position. I started to explore the 



118 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

cave in the summer of 1914, but at a distance of about 
twenty-five feet I found the passage blocked by a wall 
of ice that stopped further progress. The cave was 
ice cold and felt very refreshing after coming in out 
of the hot sunshine and torrid heat of a sizzling sum- 
mer day. I broke off some of the ice and used it for 
cooling the drinking water. It was as sweet and pure 
as the best artificial ice. Both of the ice caves are in 
lava and cinders, the last place on earth where any- 
body would look for ice. 

Frost never penetrates far below the surface of the 
ground and ice does not naturally form in the earth. 
The earth is warm from the surface down and the tem- 
perature increases rapidly with depth. How the ice 
ever got into the caves is not known and the problem is 
yet an unsolved mystery. The only plausible theory of 
its origin that has been suggested, is that it is glacial 
ice, formed and transported from the far north during 
the glacial period, and deeply buried under the falling 
cinders, while the volcanoes were in eruption. It thus 
became possible for the ice to be preserved by the cin- 
ders, in the same manner that it is stored and kept in 
sawdust pits in an ice house for an indefinite time. 

Owing to the porous nature of the volcanic soil in 
this region, water is scarce and hard to get. It is either 
conducted in pipes, from springs in the mountains, or 
taken from reservoirs constructed for gathering and 
storing surface storm water. In the to^\Ti of Williams, 
thirty miles west of Flagstaff, repeated attempts have 
been made to find water by digging, and some wells 
were sunk to great depths without finding any of the 
precious fluid. However, it was found that the porous 
cinders upon which the town is built, furnished a good 




Seeking Adventure 




The Chuck Wagon 



THE FLAGSTAFF REGION 121 

drainage system, that has been used ever since as a 
channel for sewage disposal. 

Any hole that is dug into the cinders fifty feet deep 
or over, taps a cold air chamber from which rushes 
a current of air that is strong enough to "blow the 
hat off of your head.'^ This action is most noticeable 
during the middle of a hot day. The cold air chamber 
must have some connection with the ice caves, of which 
there may be others not yet discovered in various parts 
of the volcanic field, all together forming a vast sub- 
terranean cold storage plant that is in continuous 
operation. The subject is at least interesting and calls 
for speculation and investigation. It is just as pos- 
sible for glacial ice to lie buried beneath mountains 
of cinders as it is for Arctic life to exist on the top 
of the San Francisco Peaks. After this natural force 
once got started on its long journey from the Arctic 
to the Tropic zone, it moved steadily forward until it 
fulfilled its strange destiny in the manner described. 

There are some ancient cave dwellings a short dis- 
tance east of Flagstaff and a few cliff dwellings in 
Walnut Canyon ten miles southeast of town, but these 
houses are small and inferior to many cliff houses that 
are found in other places. 

Not least among the many attractions of Flagstaff 
is the Low^ell Observatory that was established twenty- 
five years ago. 

After Sir William Herschel had noticed the white 
polar caps and Schiaparelli had discovered the canal 
markings on Mars, Professor Percival Lowell decided 
to make a special study of the planet and cast about 
for a suitable location for an observatory. After 
spending some time and visiting many places, he de- 
cided that Flagstaff offered the best site for his pur- 



122 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

pose, on account of its steady clear atmosphere, which 
is essential to good vision through a telescope. The 
results of his observations and studies have been given 
to the world in a series of bulletins and books that are 
as thrilling as fiction and yet are scientifically true. 
He has demonstrated beyond a doubt that Mars is 
supplied with both air and water and is inhabited by 
intelligent beings, who have a complete co-operative 
system of irrigation that covers the entire planet. 

Mars is practically a flat nearly level plain and has 
neither oceans nor mountains. In bulk Mars is about 
half the size of the Earth and its year is twice the 
length of our own. The nearest that the two planets 
ever approach each other is thirty-five million miles, 
at which time we get our best view of Mars. Although 
smaller in size and younger in years according to the 
reckoning of our calendar, Mars is much older in ma- 
turity than the Earth. The aging of a planet depends 
more upon its size than its years, the small planet 
growing old first and the larger one retaining its 
youthfulness for a much longer period. Being smaller 
and lighter in weight its force of gravity and power of 
attraction are also proportionately less. 

As a planet ages it gradually loses its water and its 
atmosphere grows attenuated and clear by the loss of 
water vapor. All of the large planets are yet so be- 
clouded by vapor that little or nothing of their surface 
can be seen, but in the clarified air on Mars objects are 
plainly visible from the Earth, under favorable circum- 
stances, through a good telescope. 

Mars is rapidly growing dry and what little water 
remains is being carefully conserved to meet the neces- 
sities of life. During the winter season the water col- 
lects at the poles in the form of ice and snow and when 




Parting of the Ways 




Cottonwood Camp 



THE FLAGSTAFF REGION 125 

they melt in the spring, the water is systematically 
controlled and conducted over the land in artificial 
canals, to grow the crops which are necessary to sus- 
tain life. 

The conditions prevailing on Mars are being dupli- 
cated upon the Earth, as it too is undergoing changes 
that mean a progressively attenuated atmosphere and 
diminished water supply. Two desert belts already 
girdle our globe on the lines of the two tropics of 
Capricorn and Cancer. One of these belts crosses 
southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, western 
Texas, the Sahara, Arabia Petrsea and the desert of 
Gobi. The other one traverses Peru, the African 
Veldt, and western Australia. In these regions are 
few clouds and little rain and by reason of the scanty 
rainfall and excessive evaporation, dry land is found 
in some places below the sea level. These arid belts 
are gradually widening and are destined eventually to 
cover the whole Earth, when our fate will be like that 
of Mars. 

The objects that are seen on Mars in the order of 
their visibility are its white polar caps, light and dark 
areas, that are crossed by lines which represent the 
canals, and oases, where the canals meet and connect 
with reservoirs. The hairlike lines that are seen on 
Mars through a telescope are not the actual canals, but 
strips of green land twenty-five miles wide, that are 
fed with water from the canals and covered with vege- 
tation. 

The polar caps of ice and snow are analogous in 
appearance to the Arctic and Antarctic regions of our 
Earth. They are seen to increase in winter and de- 
crease in summer with great regularity, but never dis- 
appear entirely. At their maximum spread they cover 



126 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

more than one hundred times as much surface as when 
reduced to their minimum. In the depth of winter they 
extend far towards the equator, but when spring comes 
and the ice and snow melt, the cajos recede and become 
surrounded by blue-green bodies of water that fills 
the canals and flows away to irrigate the cultivated 
fields. 

Mars is a desert and shows its character by its 
bright colors. Its prevailing tint is red, which gives 
the star its fiery appearance and the name of Red 
Planet. Professor Lowell uses the Painted Desert of 
Arizona to illustrate the arid condition of Mars. He 
says: "The great ochre stretches which are seen on 
its disk are unchangeable and show the same, day 
after day throughout the year. In hue they range 
from sand color to brick red, some parts of the planet 
being given to one tint and some to another. The 
Sahara has this same look ; and more striking yet is 
its counterpart in the far aspect of the Painted Desert 
of Arizona. As seen from the San Francisco peaks 
the likeness of its lambent saffron to the telescopic 
tints of the Martian globe is very impressive. Far 
forest and still farther desert is transmuted by dis- 
tance into mere washes of color, so bathed in the flood 
of sunshine out of a clear sky that the tints rival those 
of a fine opal; and the dark ribbon bands of green, 
like those on the banks of the Little Colorado River, 
makes the resemblance complete." 

By careful and persistent scrutiny Professor Lowell 
greatly extended Schiaparelli's discoveries and found 
lines that cover the entire surface of Mars in a world- 
wide system of water distribution. They reach from 
the poles to the equator, tapping the fountains of water 
at the poles and carrying it in canals to all parts of 




Primeval Forest 




Black River 



THE FLAGSTAFF EEGION 129 

the globe. The canals, without exception, run on 
geodetic lines and invariably begin and end at definite 
points connecting the blue-green areas of water near 
the poles with the dark spots known as oases, where 
the reservoirs are located. They are evidently arti- 
ficial and designed to serve some useful purpose — 
manifestly for carrying water from regions where 
water is found to parts where water is needed for pur- 
poses of irrigation. The canals are not visible at all 
times, but appear and disappear at regular intervals 
with the change of the seasons. When they reappear 
after a period of subsidence, they always occupy the 
same places, which proves that their positions are per- 
manent. In some places the water seems to flow uphill 
and against gravity, which denotes that it is propelled 
by some artificial force, or pumping plant. 

The question has been asked: "What manner of 
men are these people who do such remarkable things? 
Evidently they must be superior both physically and 
mentally to mundane man. Because of the lesser pull 
of gravity, the Martian must be a creature that is much 
more powerful than an Earth inhabitant. He can run 
one hundred yards in four seconds, leap over a high 
tree and kick a football a quarter of a mile. He is 
supposed to be many times larger than a human being, 
and strong enough to handle two and a half tons of 
earth at a shovelful. On account of the rarefied at- 
mosphere on Mars, he must require three times as 
much lung space as an Earth mortal, to get enough 
air to live, and his body must be proportioned accord- 
ingly. Bodies on the planet Mars weigh only a third 
as much in proportion to size as they do here; so it is 
believed that a Martian laborer can perform as much 



130 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

work in a given time as fifty terrestrial ditch diggers 
can do." 

Contemplating the heavens, the multiplicity and 
magnitude of the stars and the millions of years that 
were required to create them ; the inconceivable extent 
of space and the unnumbered worlds that hang bal- 
anced on nothing, ought to be sufficient to take the 
egotism and conceit out of puny little man, and make 
him feel what an infinitesimally small atom he is in 
the creation. 




White River 




An Arizona Trout Brook 



CHAPTER V 

THE PETKIFIED FORESTS OF ARIZONA 

Fossil wood is found in many countries, but no- 
where in such profusion or variety of bright colors as 
in the petrified forests of Arizona. 

A knowledge of the wood is of comparatively recent 
date. It was first described in reports of government 
explorations and surveys, made during the fifties, to 
find feasible routes of travel to the Pacific Coast. Soon 
after the discovery was made public, the relic hunters 
began a campaign of vandalism by shattering many 
of the giant trunks with explosives in order to obtain 
the precious gems which some of the trees contain; 
and they also carried away much agatized wood. 

Later on large quantities of the crude material were 
shipped east in car load lots to be made into tablets 
and table tops, but the cost of production was found 
to be excessive and the high price made it prohibitive 
to the average customer. Machinery was then in- 
vented and installed, for grinding it into emery, but, 
owing to the cheapness of that article in the market, 
the enterprise collapsed and was soon abandoned. 
After many years of delay, Congress finally passed a 
law to give the wood protection by converting some of 
the land upon which it is found into a national park. 

Professor Herbert E. Gregory, in his second book 
on the "Geology of the Navajo Country," gives the 
first complete description of that region. He states that 

133 



134 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

the abundance of this wood is ahnost incredible and its 
presence has made a profound impression on the na- 
tive tribes, "To the Navajo the logs are yeitsobitsin 
and the bones of yeitso, a monster who was destroyed 
by the sun and whose blood was congealed in lava 
flows. In the Piute mythology the broken trunks are 
the spent w^eapons of Shinarav, the great Wolf God, 
and the accumulated masses mark the sites of battle 
fields. 

"In the Navajo country fossil wood constitutes a 
characteristic feature of the Triassic sedimentary beds 
and is found wherever the Shinarump conglomerate or 
Chinle formation is exposed by erosion. On Litho- 
dendron Creek, in Beautiful Valley, at Round Rock 
and at Willow Springs, petrified logs and chips are 
sufficiently abundant to justify the term fossil forests. 
At these localities solid logs exceeding fifty feet in 
length may be counted by the dozen, blocks three to 
ten feet long occur in hundreds and scattered chips 
are innumerable. At other localities the wood is only 
slightly less abundant. In the North Forest, on Litho- 
dendron Creek, where the trees are best displayed 
within an area of about twelve hundred acres, a num- 
ber of logs have lengths of from thirty to forty feet, 
and diameters of three to four feet; the longest seen 
is about seventy feet in length and measures six and a 
half feet at its flattened butt. The Beautiful Valley 
Forest, covering about three square miles, contains 
ten logs between fifty and eighty feet in length and 
averaging about three feet in diameter, in addition to 
hundreds of smaller dimensions. The floor of the val- 
ley in places is literally paved with blocks of fossil 
wood. In the Round Rock or Senakahn Forest, the 
trees are as abundant as at any other place known. 




Rushing Mountain Stream 




Camping in the Wilderness 



PETRIFIED FORESTS OF ARIZONA 137 

Trunks thirty to sixty feet in length, with diameters of 
one foot to five feet, were measured. The Willow 
Springs Forest, about five square miles in area, in- 
cludes dozens of silicified trees in the midst of chips 
so abundant as to conceal the strata beneath. 

*'The tree trunks are very unevenly distributed. 
They usually occur in widely spread groups of un- 
assorted large and small trees, all lying flat and trend- 
ing in parallel or diverse directions, or overlying one 
another like fallen timbers in the path of a tornado. 
In Nokai Canyon, a nicely laid pile of eight logs seven 
to fifteen feet long, and three to four and a half feet 
in diameter, occupies an isolated position and at cer- 
tain localities only a single log is to be found within an 
area of several acres. No complete trees were seen; 
most of the logs terminate abruptly, with worn sur- 
faces at both ends. A few trees are still attached to 
their upturned stumps, and at several places stumps 
with root bases attached were noted. There is a singu- 
lar scarcity of small branches and twigs, and a some- 
what careful search for cones and needles resulted in 
finding none. 

*'As exposed on the surface the logs are generally 
broken into segments a few^ inches to several feet long, 
arranged in proper sequence. Some trunks are split 
lengthwise into rails and slivers. The surface of a 
fracture is commonly smooth and even as if cut by a 
saw. Most of the trees are composed wholly of silica 
in the form of jasper and chalcedony; a few consist 
chiefly of copper and the wood of one log noted is now 
represented by iron. Coal and lignite were obtained 
from the interior of two logs embedded in marl, and 
carnotite was found in the carbonized wood of Monu- 
ment Valley. Some of the logs are colored in harmony 



138 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

with the gray sand in which they are embedded, but 
most of them are colored by iron and manganese, and 
assume beautiful tones of red, brown, yellow and blue. 
Superoxidation has added brilliancy to colors on the 
surface of broken blocks, making the vari-colored 
jasper a much prized semi-precious gem stone. 

''It is believed that the trunks now turned to stone 
were carried by streams during floods. Many of them 
have worn ends and battered sides and most of them 
are without bark. Trees of various sizes and ages are 
huddled together, the blunt end of one log abuts against 
the side of its neighbor ; and collections of trunks are 
wedged tightly together with different angles of in- 
clination. The sandstone in which most of them occur 
is cross-bedded and lenticular, is laterally unconform- 
able, and has other features suggestive of fluviatile 
deposition. The accumulation of trunks in the 
fossil forests is closely similar to piles of driftwood 
now seen along the Colorado, Little Colorado and San 
Juan Rivers — piles of trunks and branches, some much 
worn, some still retaining the bark, crowded together 
and overriding one another; stumps attached to trees 
or separate in various positions, some upright, some 
lying on the surface, others buried in alluvian or wind- 
blown sand. The logs now stranded on the surface 
of the lava at Black Falls are about equal in number 
to the fossil trees in Beautiful Valley. Most of the 
wood, particularly the logs, must have become silicified 
in its present location, the process being favored by 
rapid burial, a water table fluctuating through short 
periods, and the presence of alkaline solutions." 

The forest which is generally known and most fre- 
quently visited, is in the vicinity of Adamana, a sta- 
tion on the Santa Fe Railway. It consists of three 




Aspen Grove 




Mountain Meadow 



im... 



PETRIFIED FORESTS OF ARIZONA 141 

natural divisions that are known as the Rainbow and 
Cr>^stal Forests and Chalcedony Park. The forest is 
not on the Navajo reservation, but is similar to those 
described by Gregory and belongs to the same group. 
The wood is found upon a sunken plain on the Painted 
Desert, between widely separated mesa cliffs and can- 
yon walls. It lies in a depression that is surrounded 
by a beautiful skyline of mesa cliffs composed of beds 
of highly colored marls, shales and clays. The pres- 
ence of so many gorgeous colors on the landscape gave 
that region the name of Painted Desert. But some 
people are so unimaginative and literal in their ideas, 
that they do not recognize nor appreciate beauty even 
when they see it. Like the young lady who w^as out on 
a sightseeing trip and, looking on the brilliant scene, 
said she had heard of the Painted Desert but if that 
was the place, she was disappointed as she did not see 
any paintings. She evidently expected to find a lot 
of gaudy daubs staring her in the face from a string 
of conventional billboards. 

In an early day a cattle man by the name of Adam 
Hanna had a ranch at this point. His wife's name 
was Anna; and when the railroad needed a name for 
its station, the given names of the husband and wife 
were joined and the station named Adamana. The 
accommodations for travelers are limited, but a few 
tourists stop over nearly every day from passing 
trains going both east and west. The guests who go 
to see the forest usually confine their sightseeing to 
one day and trip, because their time is limited, as tour- 
ists are always in a hurry to get to the next place. The 
short time which the scheduled trip permits gives only 
a glimpse of what there is to see, but if the tourist can 
only say that he has seen the forest and can produce 



142 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

some specimens to prove Ms assertion, lie is satisfied. 

The trip to the nearest forest is made by team and 
wagon some time during the forenoon. The distance 
is only six miles and the drive soon made. The road 
crosses the Rio Puerco at a ford that has quicksand, 
but which is ordinarily safe. During most of the year 
the river is a broad shallow stream that is easily 
crossed, but is impassable at its flood stage in the rainy 
season. A hamper containing drinking water and a 
light lunch is stowed away in the wagon to furnish 
midday refreshment. The drive to the forest occupies 
about an hour, another hour is spent in walking about 
and viewing the scenery, after which the cavalcade 
gathers at the Bridge where luncheon is served. The 
Bridge is a petrified tree that spans a ravine and is 
quite a curiosity. It is the chief object of attraction 
and is invariably the first thing called for by the aver- 
age tourist, as he knows about it from seeing it in pic- 
tures and reading about it in books and railroad fold- 
ers. Some time ago a pillar of masonry was built up 
underneath to support the middle, and prevent the tree 
from breaking down, as it had beg-un to crack and show 
other signs of disintegration. Another hour is spent 
in strolling about among the logs and picking up choice 
bits of wood for pocket pieces, or as souvenirs of the 
trip, when the call of "All aboard!" is heard and the 
tired party returns to the wagon and is soon whirled 
back to the hotel to await the arrival of the next train. 

Before Adamana was made a station, visitors to the 
forest w^ere obliged to go from Holbrook, a distance 
of eighteen miles. My first visit to the forest was in 
the summer of 1901, while I happened to be waiting 
in Holbrook to go to the snake dance at Walpi. Hav- 
ing some idle time on my hands I decided to use it 




Recent Earthquake Fissure at Canyon Diablo 




! ■^. 






^ .^ ■■ -^nir,, I 



'viil^N til. >":;'' 

Coon Butte Crater 



PETRIFIED FORESTS OF ARIZONA 145 

in making a side trip to the forest. I hired a team 
and driver for a two day trip and went into the forest 
by the back door, so to speak. The long trip from Hol- 
brook is now seldom made, as nearly everybody pre- 
fers to go by the shortest route. People who really 
care to see the forest make a mistake in choosing the 
shorter route, as by so doing they miss seeing the most 
interesting portion. It is impossible to make the round 
trip from Adamana in one day and see it all and a 
longer trip is seldom made by special conveyance. 

We took along a camp outfit and enough provisions 
to last during the trip, and headed for a cattle ranch 
which was known as Jim's Camp. It got its name from 
three cowboys w^ho had the same name and worked 
together on the ranch at the same time. AVe were told 
before starting that there were water and shelter at the 
ranch, but when we arrived there we found an empty 
cabin and a dry well, which had been recently flooded 
and filled with debris by a cloudburst. It was in the 
rainy season and some muddy water in a ditch gave 
the horses a drink and furnished a chocolate colored 
fluid for making coffee. The water looked uninviting 
but thirst had to be quenched, and when tasted was 
found to be better than it appeared. 

We drove over most of the forest and went clear 
through to the Bridge at the farther end. Broken 
pieces of fossil wood were scattered about in every 
direction in abundance. In places the logs were strewn 
so thickly that they could be walked on over quite a 
distance without the feet touching the ground. The 
trees are all black or brown looking upon the outside 
but if a log is split open or broken up the inside wood 
shows all kinds of bright colors — red, yellow, blue, 
purple, white and black. The colors are usually dis- 



146 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

tinct and separated from each other and again blended 
together to fade away in many shades of neutral tints. 
The colors are permanent and do not change in ap- 
pearance when exposed to the air and sunlight. Wet- 
ting them seems to brighten the colors for the time 
being, and for this reason the forests show to the best 
advantage after a rain. Although most of the wood 
has a bright hue, yet for some unknown cause the 
natural color in some of the trees has not changed in 
the least. Whenever such a log disintegrates, it splits 
with the grain into many small pieces that look like 
chips. The debris forms small mounds which resemble 
piles of dry chips in some old time woodchopper's 
camp and seem only waiting the touch of a lighted 
match to make them burn. From their natural ap- 
pearance it is hard to believe that they are not real 
wood, until tested and judged by their weight and 
metallic ring. 

Many kinds of gem stones such as agate, jasper, 
chalcedony, amethyst, topaz, etc., are found among the 
broken pieces of wood. To stand in the midst of such 
lavish wealth creates a desire to possess some of them, 
but what to choose or how^ to dispose of them is an- 
other question as the rules of the forest service forbid 
carrying anything away. Usually the impulse ends by 
the victim smothering his desire, or casually picking 
up a few small pocket pieces and heaving a sigh of 
regret that so many attractive specimens have to be 
discarded and left behind. 

The source of the many different colors appears to 
be in doubt. They are said to be due to the oxidation 
of iron and manganese, but if this be true, why is the 
outside of the tree, which is most accessible to oxygen, 
always black and only the inside of the tree, where 




ll.,)l' 








Navajo Thrift 




'Home Sweet Home" — Navajo Hogan 



PETRIFIED FORESTS OF ARIZONA 149 

oxygen has small chance to act, painted in bright 
colors? Again, it is claimed that the colors were ab- 
sorbed from the highly colored soils in which the wood 
is imbedded. But this theory also is improbable, even 
if it were possible, in view of the fact that in the North 
Forest where the colors of the soil are the most vivid, 
all of the wood is black. The fact is that neither the 
process of petrifaction nor coloration is understood 
and theorizing on the subject is only guesswork. 

Geologically speaking the region dates back into Me- 
sozoic time and the Triassic formation of the reptilian 
age. To become fossilized, the wood must be immersed 
for a long period in highly mineralized water, when the 
atoms of organic matter are gradually replaced in 
some mysterious manner by other atoms of some in- 
organic substance until the structure is completely 
changed and petrified. 

Broken pieces of fossil bones of the Saurian family 
are also found among the arboreal remains, but no 
complete skeleton of any such creature has yet been 
discovered in that region. In searching for specimens 
I found one fossilized vertebra and a section of an 
acetabulum or socket joint. 

The trees are said to belong to the cone bearing 
family and two varieties have been identified and 
named as the Araucarioxylon Arizonicum and Wood- 
worthia Arizonica. When John Muir investigated the 
forests in 1906, it was reported that he had found the 
Sigillaria tree among the ruins and named a spot in 
the North Forest where it is the most numerous, as 
the Sigillaria Grove. This tree is supposed to be very 
ancient and has been extinct for ages. Its substance 
during growth was soft and of the endogenous variety 
of vegetal development, in contradistinction to hard- 



150 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

wood trees, which enlarge by exogenous layers, as is 
evidenced by their annular rings. The bole is curious- 
ly marked by pittings in the body that run in spiral 
circles around the stem and show where the leaves or 
branches were attached. 

Mr. Muir was anxious to fiiid a specimen of petri- 
fied fruit, but after a long search, failed to realize his 
desire. Some time after he had returned home, Al 
Stevenson, who was custodian of the forest and pro- 
prietor of the Adamana Hotel, and always on the 
hunt for specimens, found what appears to be the 
thing sought, a perfect carpelite of petrified fruit; 
and at another time he also found an equally perfect 
specimen of a petrified flower. As far as is known, 
these are the only specimens of the kind in existence, 
and with other typical specimens of wood, roots and 
bark from the petrified forests, are on exhibition in 
the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, California. 

Mr. Muir first described the Blue Forest, and gave 
it its name because much of the wood has a blue tint 
that is different from anything found elsewhere. On 
my first visit to the Blue Forest in 1910, I was sur- 
prised to find a system of small roots that occupied 
their original position where they grew in the earth, 
and are the only petrified roots that have ever been 
found. I also obtained some fine pieces of blue wood 
and other absolutely perfect pieces of bark. The Blue 
Forest is about the same distance from Adamana as 
the old forest, but requires a separate trip as it is not 
included in the itinerary of any of the other forests. 

After returning from my trip to the Blue Forest, I 
heard for the first time of the existence of a Black 
Forest nine miles north of Adamana. I engaged Mr. 
Stevenson to take me there and early the next morning 




Crossing the Rio Puerco 





'"^?1P 






^, ., \ 



x^-i^ ■ 



■ V ^ - 

The Eagle's Beak 






PETRIFIED FORESTS OF ARIZONA 153 

we drove out over a good natural road on an easy 
upgrade, until suddenly we found ourselves on the 
brink of a high cliff of volcanic tufa overlooking the 
Carrizo Creek Wash. Before us lay a vast amphi- 
theater that spread out in a wide semi-circle of but- 
tressed buttes and graded terraces extending upwards 
and backwards to a high mesa skyline in the far dis- 
tance. It is a brilliant scene that stretches away in 
every direction to the limit of vision. 

I thought that I knew Arizona and had seen the 
Painted Desert many times, but now for the first time 
I saw the real thing. This new wonderland of bright 
colors and variegated landscape was a revelation. The 
view is unsurpassed and as a painting makes a fit 
companion piece to the Grand Canyon of Arizona. 

There is no wagon road into the valley from the 
south rim and we descended into the depths by a steep, 
winding trail in order to obtain a nearer view. The 
scenery is more picturesque and the going more diffi- 
cult than in any of the other forests. On account of 
the distance and roughness of the road, few persons 
care to travel it and prefer to take their view, seated 
and resting, from the rim of the cliff. 

The Sigillaria Grove is near the farther end of the 
forest and is apt to be missed without a competent 
guide to show the way. It requires an entire day to 
make the trip, and like the Grand Canyon, every turn 
in the road brings a new surprise. I noted especially 
one peculiarity, that while in the south forests all of 
the exposed clay banks are covered with water polished 
pebbles, in the north forest these stones are absent, 
but are replaced by sharp volcanic cinders that are 
hard on shoe leather. 

There are also some ancient ruins and rock carvings 



154 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

found in the vicinity of Adamana that add much in- 
terest to the place. On top of the banks of the Rio 
Puerco is an old Pueblo ruin where some excavating 
has been done which has resulted in finding many in- 
teresting relics of the past. Upon the talus of the 
mesa cliffs are many large broken rocks covered with 
hieroglyphics that must mean something but are not 
yet understood. These carvings were evidently done 
with implements made of petrified wood, as particles 
of this substance have been extracted from the mark- 
ings and identified with the magnifying glass. 

During our ride home I remarked to Mr. Stevenson 
how very interesting it was to visit these old ruins and 
picture in imagination the people and life that once 
flourished there. My companion said he was glad that 
I had mentioned the subject and confessed that he, 
too, had indulged in some fanciful reveries about the 
past. ''But," said he, ''I never speak of it to any- 
body as I sometimes think that I am growing 'nutty' 
on the subject and people who heard me might think 
that I was 'bughouse.' " 




The Rainbow Forest 




The Bridge 



CHAPTER VI 

EL EITO DE LOS FRIJOLES 

Santa Fe, New Mexico, is one of the three oldest 
cities in the United States, its two rivals for that honor 
being Tucson, Arizona, and Saint Augustine, Florida. 
These cities date back to early Spanish days, but the 
exact time of their origin is not altogether certain. 

Santa Fe has a romantic history and, since its be- 
ginning, has been an important center of population 
and traffic. As the seat of Spanish government it was 
used in spreading colonies and missions throughout 
New Mexico, which then embraced an extensive terri- 
tory. Before gold was discovered in California, it was 
a convenient trading post for the Indians, hunters and 
trappers and a favorite resort for hardy adventurers 
who traveled through the wild and unexplored wilder- 
ness of the Far West. 

The long road from east to west for all kinds of 
travel, was for many years over the old Santa Fe 
Trail, which is now the route followed by the Santa Fe 
Railway. The trail divides into two branches at Santa 
Fe, one going south into Mexico and the other west 
to Los Angeles and the Pacific Coast. After the rail- 
road was built the trail lost its importance, but is again 
gaining favor under automobile travel and the good 
roads movement. 

The town of Santa Fe lies at an elevation of seven 
thousand feet above sea level and is beautifully situ- 

157 



158 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

atecl in the foothills near a range of mountains of the 
same name. The Governor's Palace, which according 
to Read was built in 1605, is the most interesting 
building in the town and is a valuable historic asset. 
It is a thick walled, one story adobe structure that 
was the home of governors for centuries and the oldest 
seat of continuous government anywhere in the United 
States. 

The Palace faces the Plaza on the north and is yet 
essentially the same building that was originally 
erected. It was the home of General Lew Wallace 
while he was Governor of New Mexico and where he 
wrote the fascinating story of Ben Hur. The Palace 
was recently remodeled and dedicated to science, and 
it is now the home of the School of American 
Archaeology, the Historical Society and the Museum 
of New Mexico. It is maintained by the state, and the 
generous support it receives is an example of modern 
enterprise that is worthy of emulation by the older 
states. 

Santa Fe, although modernized, retains much of the 
characteristic flavor and quaintness of an old Mexican 
town. Many nationalities are represented in the popu- 
lation and numerous languages are spoken, but the 
Spanish element predominates. It is an exceedingly 
interesting place, and has a charm that attracts many 
visitors. 

It is also a center of pre-historic civilization, about 
which very little is yet kno^vn, and it was principally 
for this reason that the town was chosen as the home 
of the School of American Archaeology. Many ruins 
of ancient cities are found in this vicinity and it is the 
mission of the school to investigate them, to find out 
their value and place in aboriginal culture. 




Petrified Wood and Clay Beds, Blue Forest 







Chalcedony Park 



EL RITO DE LOS FRIJOLES 161 

A. F. Bandelier, the noted archaeologist, spent many 
years in studying the early inhabitants of the South- 
west, and gathered much valuable information con- 
cerning the life of its ancient people. He regarded 
Santa Fe and the region round about, but particularly 
a nearby spot known as the Rito de los Frijoles (Little 
River of the Beans), as an extremely important center 
of cliff dwellers ' culture and the real key to the situa- 
tion. To popularize his scientific knowledge of the 
subject, he wrote a romance describing cliff dwelling 
life entitled ''The Delight Makers." This delightful 
book was published many years ago and copies of the 
first edition are now scarce and hard to find. It tells 
of the home life of a primitive people who, after all is 
said, were not so very different from other folks. Their 
feelings and thoughts, as told by him, of love, fear, 
hate, revenge, despair et cetera, were only human 
traits which will never change materially in any people 
while the world stands. After referring to various 
conditions of life, and describing many objects that 
were found in the deserted cave dwellings in the cliffs, 
he concluded that the dwellers therein were much the 
same kind of people as are the present Pueblo Indians 
of New Mexico. 

He says: ''It is not surprising that some traditions 
and myths are preserved today by the Pueblos con- 
cerning these cave villages. Thus the Tehua Indians 
of the pueblo of Santa Clara assert that the artificial 
grottos of what they call Puye and Shufinne west of 
their present abodes, were the homes of their ances- 
tors at one time. The Queres of Cochiti, in turn, de- 
clare that the tribe to which they belong occupied, 
many centuries before the first coming of Europeans to 
New Mexico, the cluster of cave dwellings visible at 



162 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

this day, although abandoned and in ruins, in that 
romantic and picturesquely secluded gorge called in 
the Queres dialect Tyuonyi and in Spanish El Rito 
de los Frijoles." 

The Rito is certainly a beautiful spot. It is twenty 
miles directly west of Santa Fe, but is reached by a 
circuitous route over a long rough road. It consists 
of a narrow valley which is about six miles long and 
half a mile wide, and is shut in by high perpendicular 
cliffs. The glade is narrowest at its upper end, where 
it is covered by a forest of pine trees ; but as the valley 
descends, the forest becomes more open. A perma- 
nent brook of clear water flows through the valley, and 
thickets of elder, wild cherry, willo-w and alder bushes 
grow" upon its banks. 

Many kinds of wild flowers are in blossom during 
the year, but the gaillardias and a small native variety 
of sunflower are the most conspicuous and abundant. 
These are mostly found in the open spaces among the 
trees and bloom in the late summer. This large mass 
of bright yellow petals makes a gorgeous sight, and is 
in pleasing contrast to the dark green foliage of the 
pine trees in the arboreal surroundings. It is a quiet 
retreat that looks peaceful when basking in the sun- 
shine, and is wonderfully calm when the twinkling 
stars shine out and the mellow moonlight floods the 
valley. 

Santa Fe and the Rito are brought into close rela- 
tion by the School of American Archaeology which has 
branches in both places. Its offices, lecture rooms and 
museum are in the city and its summer classes meet at 
the Rito and Puye in the Pajarito Park for field work 
and nature study. 

The Pajarito Park is an irregular plateau which is 




The Painted Desert of the North Forest 




Al Stevenson 



EL RITO DE LOS FRIJOLES 165 

covered by an open pine forest and has many interest- 
ing ruins. It rests upon a thick base of pumice stone, 
or volcanic tufa, which is a soft friable rock that is 
easily worked. Where the rock is exposed to the 
weather, its surface becomes hard, but the interior re- 
mains soft. Into this soft rock the cave dwellers 
delved with their crude implements of hard stone and 
carved out comfortable homes for themselves. On the 
ceilings and walls of the room are yet plainly seen the 
marks of their primitive cutting tools. Some of the 
caves consist of only a single room but there are other 
houses that have a number of connecting rooms of dif- 
ferent sizes, en suite. They make cozy quarters which 
are warm, dry and clean— perfectly protected from the 
cold, wind and rain. It is an effort to reach some of 
these habitations by climbing up the cliff on a steep 
trail, but such a trifle did not seem to trouble the cave 
dwellers in the least, as they were a hardy, active race 
of people and not easily discouraged. 

'The cliffs are honeycombed in places by these arti- 
ficial grottos and must have accommodated colonies of 
considerable size. The caves are most numerous in 
the north wall of the Rito, where they have a bright, 
sunny southern exposure. They are distinctly seen 
from the floor of the valley in a chain of openings 
which follow a curving horizontal line just above 
the talus. Some caves on the talus show the marks 
where outside houses were attached that have crumbled 
away. In a few places they are grouped in tiers, one 
above the other, on the face of the cliff, but these are 
exceptional. 

In a large natural cavern which is two hundred feet 
above the valley, in a massive cliff that has no talus, 
was found a large kiva or lodge room, which has been 



166 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

restored and is called the Ceremonial Cave. At the 
time of discovery it was inaccessible from every direc- 
tion, but a path was made, and it is now reached by 
a series of hand-made steps and ladders. Some of 
them are so steep that they seem to lean outward from 
the perpendicular and start shivers of fear in the 
timid and inexperienced trail climber. Many ruins of 
communal houses are found on the top of the mesa, 
far away from any cliff, as well as on the floor of 
the valley below. They are known to be four hundred 
years old but may be much older. 

Extensive excavations have been made both in the 
Rito and Puye and they each show the same style of 
architecture which is of the cavate type. It was once 
claimed that glazing pottery was an unknown art to 
the ancient Americans, as no such earthen ware had 
been found at that time. But this claim proved to be 
an error, as during recent years much glazed pottery 
has been discovered in the Southwest, and is now on 
exhibition in various museums. 

The ancient city of Tyuonyi was being excavated 
at the time of my first visit to the Rito in 1910. It is 
a large communal house containing several hundred 
rooms and is located on a commanding site, in the 
middle of the valley above the brook. It was built in 
circular form around a central court. Fully five feet 
of alluvial soil covered the debris, but how it ever got 
there is a mystery, unless it was an accumulation of 
dust blown off the mesa by the wind. If this theory is 
correct, it means that the ruin is very old, as such a 
deposit of dust from the air is a slow process that 
would require a long time to complete. 

One day while the workmen were digging in the 
ruins they uncovered a large colony of ants that con- 




Governor's Palace, Santa Fe 




North Wall of the Rito 



EL RITO DE LOS FRIJOLES 169 

tained many specimens of the honey ant. These honey 
bearers are store houses for accumulating honey dew 
which the ants milk from their aphis cows. Their 
abdomens are like rubber bags, that will stretch to 
enormous proportions according to the amount of 
honey they are required to hold. They are the com- 
missary for the colony to feed the hungry workers 
when their ordinary food fails in time of famine. I 
had read about these ants but had never seen any and 
found them very interesting. 

The School is organized during its summer session 
into a camp that is composed of teachers, pupils, 
visitors and Lidian helpers. Every related subject 
is included in the curriculum and is systematically 
arranged and assigned to the different classes. The 
students are taught both by didactic lectures and field 
demonstrations in a course which includes many of the 
natural sciences and furnishes study and exercise for 
all who care to participate. In the evening an invita- 
tion is extended to the people in camp to gather at the 
public rendezvous around a big bonfire of dry pine 
logs. Here they enjoy an impromptu program of so- 
cial fun and frolic, according to the humor of the audi- 
ence, which affords an agreeable diversion from the 
daily routine and makes a fitting close to the activities 
of the day. 

Life in the valley may be somewhat primitive and 
simple but is all the more interesting and enjoyable 
on that account. Some sleep in tents, others in the 
open air in regular camp fashion, while not a few pre- 
fer to occupy the ancient houses in the cliffs. Here the 
writer took up his temporary abode in an empty cave 
near the trail above the talus. The cave had at one 
time been the home of a cacique of the Snake Clan, 



170 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

as was evidenced by the figure of a serpent and other 
insignia of that order which appeared on the walls. 
The ceiling was oval and about seven feet high and 
the room eight feet wide by ten feet long. A large 
part of the front wall had been broken, and fallen out, 
which made a wide doorway and gave ample room for 
light and ventilation. I spread my bed upon the floor 
and made myself at home. 

To realize that here on this very spot other human 
beings had once lived long ages ago, started vague 
speculations as to what and who they were. Possibly 
this room was the very home of some of the people 
whom Bandelier describes so graphically in his story 
of "The Delight Makers." Any one with an imagina- 
tive mind could easily reproduce here the life he de- 
picts in his illuminating novel. I was not long in find- 
ing out that just behind the wall, in an adjoining apart- 
ment, was a mummy which had been left in exactly the 
position in which it was found, as an example of an- 
cient sepulture. Its presence was a spooky affair to 
be sure, but not disturbing in the least, as it did not 
materialize any evil spirits nor provoke bad dreams. 

Taking observations of the surroundings while rest- 
ing upon my rude couch, I noticed that a colony of 
wasps had taken possession of a hole in the ceiling 
and were building their nest. I was careful not to 
disturb them and they did not molest me. Every 
morning early, a small canyon wren paid me a visit and 
flew all about the room unafraid, peering curiously 
into every nook and corner. Its stay was brief and it 
soon disappeared. 

Every day during my stay had its pleasant surprise 
but the climax of interest came at the end of the week, 
when the cliffs on a mile front were illuminated on 




Grottos in the North Wall 




Prince and Princess of Persia 



EL RITO DE LOS FEIJOLES 173 

Saturday night. Soon after dark bonfires were started 
at intervals along the base of the cliff, and lighted 
candles were placed in the windows and doors of the 
cliff houses. It had the appearance of a mammoth play 
house with the lights and scenery all set and the cur- 
tain ready to go up. • 

The stage was the open court of the resurrected city 
of Tyuonyi in front of the cliffs, where an additional 
bonfire was burning which helped to intensify the gen- 
eral effect. Fifteen Indians who were employed on 
the ground as laborers were the actors and rendered 
a program of native songs and dances that were given 
in a thrilling manner to an interested audience of about 
fifty white people. The assembly was composed of 
school attaches and visitors, who found seats upon the 
broken walls of the ruins, unless they preferred to 
occupy ' ' standing room. ' ' The performance was high- 
ly entertaining and received frequent and hearty ap- 
plause from the small but appreciative audience. The 
scene was strangely weird and impressive, and some- 
thing entirely different from anything that had ever 
happened. It was the event of a lifetime and an ex- 
perience never to be forgotten. 

Throughout the Southwest are found many natural 
objects of interest that appear to be the handiwork of 
man. The frescoing and sculpturing of the cliffs by 
erosion and weather stains where the cliff dwellers 
made their homes, are striking examples of natural 
art. Figures of forms and faces are of frequent oc- 
currence that were carved out of solid rock by the 
silent forces of nature on massive butte and mountain 
peak. In the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona is seen 
in profile the outlines of a noble human head and face 
looking upwards and silhouetted against the sky. It 



174 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

can readily be seen by looking southward from a car 
window of a Southern Pacific train as it speeds west- 
ward after leaving Stine's Pass, and is known as San 
Simon's Head. 

Montezuma's Head in the Estrella Mountains on the 
Gila Eiver in central Arizona, is another striking re- 
semblance to the human features. In this instance the 
head is held erect in a dignified pose like an Aztec king 
in whose honor it was named. It is a conspicuous 
object on the landscape and has been a familiar land- 
mark for centuries. 

On the wagon road from Gallup to Saint Michael's, 
near the Haystacks, may be seen the perfect head of 
a cow etched in the rock on a cliff where the road 
passes. It is small and not often seen unless pointed 
out by some one who knows about it. 

By the side of the Tuba road in the Moencopi Wash 
in northern Arizona is a rock that is almost the per- 
fect image of a camel lying down as if taking a rest. 
The resemblance is so natural that at a glance the 
passer-by could easily be deceived into taking it for 
the reality. 

Upon the First Mesa on a ledge of rock half way 
down the cliff, southwest of Walpi, is the statue of a 
frog, posed as if ready to jump. The frog is the Hopi's 
symbol for water, which makes it seem much at home 
even if it is in a dry country where water is scarce. 
Whether the Hopis know of this effigy of their water 
deity is not apparent, but as a natural work of art, 
it fits perfectly into its peculiar environment and is 
a striking coincidence. 

Quite near the frog and upon the same ledge of 
rocks is the squat figure of a horned toad, also carved 
from stone like the frog, that has a perfectly natural 




Trio of Snake Dancers 




Snake Priestesses 



EL RITO DE LOS FRIJOLES 177 

look in its coat of mail and with its horny crest raised 
as if in anger at being disturbed in the privacy of its 
solitude. Never having heard of these objects being 
seen or mentioned, made it seem as if my finding them 
was a real discovery. 

Reference is made to them at this time as similar 
objects are also found in the Rito, where the cliffs 
are carved into various curious and fantastic shapes. 
In front of the cave which I occupied are two designs 
of unusual interest. One is a double statue composed 
of two figures in human form, male and female, the 
man standing and the woman sitting by his side. The 
striking resemblance to Persian features and costume, 
gave them the name of the Prince and Princess of 
Persia. Not far away stands another statue distinctly 
modeled to resemble the creature described in classical 
mythology as the Satyr. 

My second visit to the Rito was in the summer of 
1912 after a long hard trip to the newly discovered 
cliff dwellings in Laguna Canyon in northern Arizona. 
I drove out from Santa Fe in a wagon and arrived at 
the end of the road on the rim of the Rito late in the 
day. I left my blanket roll in the wagon and climbed 
down the steep foot trail into the valley. The manage- 
ment is supposed to take care of the baggage and it is 
usually packed down the trail by the Indian helpers. 
It happened that on this day the Indians were on a 
strike and refused to do any work. The situation was 
reported to the management and a bed was promised 
that did not materialize; and when I realized that I 
could get no lodging I recalled my old cave in the cliff, 
which upon inquiry I found was vacant. I dreaded to 
sleep without a bed in the cold, as the summer nights 
at that altitude are decidedly chilly, but there was no 



178 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

help for it. I procured a tallow candle and some 
matches from the commissary and picked my way over 
a dim trail in the dark, to the cave. Having no bed 
I lay down on the hard stone floor in my clothes, or 
rather my shirt sleeves, as I used my coat for a pillow. 
The next morning after I awoke I smiled to myself 
when I realized what a comfortable night I had spent 
as I had expected to be frozen stiff before morning. 

It reminded me, however, of a niglit that was passed 
less comfortably many years ago, while fighting in the 
trenches under the walls of Fort Negly, during the 
battle of Nashville in the Civil War. It was in the 
winter when a terrific sleet storm struck our command 
and covered everything with a thick coat of ice. Being 
without cover we lay down upon the ice to sleep, 
wrapped only in a single thin blanket which froze fast 
to the ground. In the morning we found ourselves un- 
able to move and could not get up until some more 
fortunate comrade pulled us loose. 

My night 's experience in the cave only proved again 
that everything in life is more or less relative. If I 
had slept out in the open I would have suffered from 
the cold. The reason of so much comfort in the cave 
was because its temperature was the same at all times, 
and not affected by the outside weather, which fact, 
in the absence of a thermometer, was easily proved. 
When I stepped in out of the hot sunshine the cave felt 
cool, and when I came in out of the cold night, the same 
temperature was comfortably warm. Thus the things 
of life are not always what they seem, but are notice- 
ably affected by contrast. 




The Mystic Circle 




Hopi Girls 



CHAPTER VII 

ON TH«E ARIZONA FRONTIER 

When the Pilgrim Fathers landed on Plymouth 
Rock they found a frontier which extended over the 
entire length of the Atlantic Coast. As years went by 
the population of the new country increased rapidly 
and pushed the Atlantic frontier steadily back towards 
the Rocky Mountains. 

Years later, when the Argonauts crossed the moun- 
tains on their way to California in search of the new 
Golden Fleece, they carried the frontier with them 
and at one bound established it on the shores of the 
broad Pacific Ocean. There it recoiled and traveled 
backwards to fill the gap that was made by its rapid 
flight over the mountains to the western sea. In the 
course of time the east and west frontiers met in the 
mountains on the Continental Divide and united to 
form the last American frontier, that extends from 
British Columbia to Mexico. 

Upon the advanced lines of our growing western 
civilization the enterprising spirits of the older settle- 
ments gathered in search of new discoveries and ad- 
ventures. What happened during that early period of 
strenuous and perilous development, in pushing back 
the frontier of crafty Indians and savage wild beasts, 
makes one of the most thrilling chapters of United 
States history ; and of that frontier no part of it fur- 
nishes a more exciting story than that which embraces 
the Arizona-New Mexico border. 

181 



182 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

Here lived some of the most noted tribes of Indians 
that ever helped to make history. After long years of 
bloody warfare they were finally subdued and settled 
on reservations where they now live in peace, trying 
to learn how to be civilized. Of all the tribes involved, 
the Apaches were the most fierce and ferocious; but 
the Utes, Navajos, Comanches and others, also took 
an active part. It is yet a wild region and unsettled, 
but has many natural attractions. 

In my travels through Arizona I failed to penetrate 
this region until the year 1901, when I made my first 
trip to Hopiland to see the snake dance at Walpi. The 
visit, instead of satisfying me, only increased my de- 
sire to see more, and since then I have made many 
trips to different sections of that country. I was a 
little late getting started, yet in plenty of time to see 
something of its primitive state. I had long wanted to 
see the Apache country, but no favorable opportunity 
offered until 1905. On one of my visits to Hopiland 
I stopped at Holbrook to outfit for the trip. While 
waiting I met Governor Murphy, who arrived from 
Fort Apache with a party of friends. He gave a glow- 
ing account of what he had seen of good climate, beau- 
tiful scenery and fine trout fishing in the AVhite Moun- 
tains. About that time I also read in the Native 
American an extract from a letter written by C. W. 
Grouse, Superintendent of the White Eiver Indian 
Agency, which said: "If you are a lover of beautiful 
flowers, pine forests and rugged mountains, come and 
see me in June or July and I will show you why the 
Apache loves his home." These reports decided me 
to delay no longer and I at once began making prepara- 
tions for a trip to Fort Apache. 

We outfitted at our Pinaleno cattle ranch, near Will- 




Hopi Woman 




Kachina Dancers in Costume 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 185 

cox, Arizona, in June, 1905. The reason for selecting 
the summer time was on account of the pleasant 
weather and long days for travel and sightseeing. Much 
of the country is at an elevation of from five to eight 
thousand feet above the sea, at which altitude the 
weather is cool, even during the hot summer months. 
The horses and wagon were obtained from the ranch 
and the vehicle was rigged up with a chuck box, and 
loaded with bedding, cooking utensils and provisions 
to last six weeks, during a four hundred mile trip. 

Our party consisted of myself and three young men: 
my nephew from Columbus, Ohio, an embryo doctor 
from Los Angeles and one of our cowboys from the 
ranch, who took care of the horses and acted as guide. 
A span of big horses was hitched to the wagon, 
which I drove, and two cow ponies were used for out- 
riders. The saddle horses made side trips where the 
wagon could not go, and also helped the wagon up 
steep places by our fastening one end of a rope to the 
wagon tongue and the other end to the saddle horn 
for pulling, cowboy fashion. 

We left the ranch early in the morning and took the 
hill road on the San Simon side of the Graham Moun- 
tains, for Solomonville, thirty-five miles distant, on the 
Gila River. All along the road we enjoyed beautiful 
vistas of valley and mountain scenery, and the balmy 
atmosphere was pure delight. The desert vegetation 
was unusually abundant and the pure air was filled 
with its sweet fragrance. 

More kinds of life exist upon the desert than the 
arid conditions would seem to warrant. At every spring 
or water hole, which are few, the animals for miles 
around assemble to quench their thirst. Some animals, 
however, do not seem to need water, and live m re- 



186 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

gions where there is none. Prairie dogs, trade rats 
and jack rabbits are of this class. Neitlier do they 
obtain water from the dew or succulent plants, as there 
is no dew and very little green grass to furnish mois- 
ture during most of the year. They are desert bred, 
have become habituated to their arid environment and 
thrive on it. 

But all birds need water and gather at the springs 
to get it. Their usual time for going to drink is either 
in the early morning or late evening. Doves and quail 
are the most numerous; but the desert has a variety 
of bird life, and some kinds of birds that are not found 
elsewhere. They sometimes collect in such large num- 
bers at these rendezvous that when they rise to take 
their flight their wings make a sound like the noise 
of a big wind. 

Railroad Pass is a favorite resort for Palmer's 
thrasher, which builds its large cornucopia shaped 
nest of twigs and grass in some thorny mesquite bush. 
The cactus wren chooses for its nesting place the fork 
of a bristling cholla stalk, where it is well protected 
by a mass of sharp needles that even a fly can scarcely 
get by. The mother bird often sits on a nearby perch 
and in her raucous, scolding notes defies the predatory 
hawk to attack her fledgling brood in their snug and 
safe nest. The Gila woodpecker carves out a roomy 
house for itself with its strong beak, from the pulp 
of a sahuaro tree, and sometimes shares its cozy apart- 
ment with the little elf owl. 

The road runner is a peculiar bird that got its name 
from a habit it has of running on the ground instead 
of flying through the air. It frequents the traveled 
road and is often seen about the ranches. I tried to 
locate a nest to see what it looked like, but could not 




Sand Dunes and Peach Orchard 



•Mf^ 



^-^' 




A Tempting Snapshot 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 189 

find one, nor did I hear of anybody who had ever seen 
one. 

I saw my first towhee on one of my early visits to 
the ranch. I pointed it out to a cowboy before I knew 
what it was and asked him if he knew its name. He 
replied, "Oh that's just a little brown bird," and 
seemed to think that he had fully answered my 
question. 

Jack rabbits and cottontails were very numerous, 
starting up frequently from the roadside and scurry- 
ing off to cover among the rocks and bushes. The 
western chipmunk is as frisky as its eastern cousin, 
and where there is no forest in which to hide, makes 
its home in the chaparral. Small lizards, in many 
colors, could be seen sunning themselves upon the 
rocks or darting out of the road to escape being run 
over. 

The desert is indeed a hot dry land with an un- 
quenchable thirst, and the amount of water that is con- 
sumed by the traveler is appalling, especially when 
the liquid supply happens to be running low. The 
fear of a water shortage causes him to think about it 
continually, which only tends to increase his thirst. Is 
it any wonder that the inexperienced tenderfoot who 
wanders out upon the desert without an adequate 
supply of water, as he is almost sure to do, being 
ignorant of desert conditions, should sometimes perish 
from thirst? 

An Arizona sky is always an interesting object, 
brazen though it be. There is a clearness of the 
atmosphere that is deceptive and alluring by making 
distant objects look near. Its lights and shades are in 
strong contrast and the sky is marked by a variety of 
brilliant colors. The sky shone with an unusual bright- 



190 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

ness on the morning that we started on our journey, 
which was only one glorious example out of many 
heavenly splendors. As the rays of the rising sun 
slanted upwards, myriads of fleecy clouds that flecked 
the sky, sparkled like polished spangles of gold, and 
the border of a heavy black cloud, which hung low on 
the horizon, resembled the clear cut skyline of a city, 
and shone with a dazzling brightness. 

We arrived at Solomonville late in the afternoon 
with banners flying, as the white curtains of our can- 
vas covered wagon flapped gaily in the breeze. When 
we stopped on a vacant lot to make camp for the 
night, some small boys of the village came running 
up, thinking that we were a circus come to town, and 
wanted admission tickets to the show. When told that 
we were not a circus, but only ordinary travelers seek- 
ing a camp ground for the night, they seemed to be 
disappointed ; and we could not help feeling amused at 
the ludicrous situation. 

The ride down the Gila Valley from Solomonville to 
San Carlos took two full days of steady driving over a 
hot and dusty road. There are thousands of acres of 
rich farming land in this valley that are now under 
cultivation, and irrigated with water taken from the 
Gila River by gravity flow. We passed many green 
meadows of pasture land on which fat horses and 
cattle were grazing, besides many large fields of wav- 
ing grain and alfalfa, where only a few years ago 
nothing grew but cactus, mesquite and greasewood. 

Almost at the start, and much to my surprise, I dis- 
covered signs of discontent if not actual mutiny in 
the camp. The young doctor seemed to be displeased 
with everything that happened. When asked kindly 
what was wrong he only sulked and made no reply. 




Navajo House Maids 




Mr. Hubbell and some of his Native Helpers 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 193 

On the evening of the second day we camped at an 
empty school house where there was a well of water. 
I told the young man that it was high time for him to 
sweeten up and if he did not show any signs of im- 
provement in the morning he would have to leave us, 
as we could not afford to have the pleasure of the trip 
spoiled by a surly grouch. The next morning, as there 
was no change for the better, I gave him a box of 
crackers and canteen of water and started him down 
the road towards home on foot. As he went in the 
direction of the railroad, which was not far off, I knew 
that he could not get lost ; nor would he suffer, as his 
immediate wants were provided for. I learned after- 
wards that he reached home in safety, but I never saw 
him again. 

At San Carlos the road leaves the Gila River and 
strikes off at a right angle towards the mountains. 
Twelve miles north of San Carlos is the Rice Station 
Indian School, which is a government institution and, 
at the time of our visit, was in charge of Doctor J. S. 
Perkins, We arrived at this oasis on the desert hot 
and tired, but soon had a comfortable camp made 
under some cottonwood trees near the school, where we 
rested and stayed over Sunday. The genial Doctor 
met us with a smile and extended the glad hand of 
welcome. He gave us the freedom of the house, a 
luxurious bath in a real bathtub and a sumptuous 
dinner, all of which made the strangers feel very 
happy and at home. 

In this vicinity is found the new gem stone called 
peridot. It is contained in a matrix of black basaltic 
rock that caps the mesa. As its edge crumbles away 
the gems are liberated and fall down the cliff to mingle 
with the debris on the talus below. 



194 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

From Kice the road leads rapidly into the mountains 
and rises four thousand feet in the first fifteen miles, 
winding up from desert heat and aridity to fresh ver- 
dure and mountain coolness. It was a surprise to find 
less wild life in the mountains than we had met upon 
the desert. 

Traveling in the mountains is more strenuous than 
on the plain, but even if the road was rough in places 
it was comparatively safe. Farther on, however, the 
road was badly out of repair and even dangerous 
where it had been washed out by rains or was ob- 
structed by fallen boulders and landslides. If it had 
not been for our experienced cowboy guide, who got us 
out of several tight places, the expedition might have 
been wrecked and this story never written. 

We found plenty of water in the mountains and did 
not have to make a single dry camp during the entire 
trip. We drank from some wonderful springs the cool, 
refreshing draught which is so much prized in a thirsty 
land ; and in some of our camps we were lulled to sleep 
by the soothing murmur of running water. 

After traveling for days up and down hill, on nar- 
row roads and steep grades, weary to the bone, we at 
last reached the goal of our desire, Fort Apache, the 
historic home and hunting ground of the Apache In- 
dians. The Fort is located on the White River in a 
picturesque valley, and surrounded upon all sides by 
high mountains. It is in the heart of the wilderness 
on the last American frontier, where a white man is 
seldom seen, unless he is there on some duty for the 
government, or exploring expedition of his own. 

On such a trip as was ours, where we were cut off 
from all communication with the outside world, we 
failed to get the latest news and lost all reckoning of 




The San Francisco Mountains 




Indian Garden and Lower Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 197 

time; and the strange thing about it was that we 
scarcely noticed the difference or felt the loss. There 
were no telegrams nor telephone calls to answer, nor 
were there any racking noises to disturb the nerves. 

We made our camp on White River midway be- 
tween the Fort and the Agency in a grove of cotton- 
wood trees. The largest of the trees measured twenty- 
three feet in circumference, or nearly eight feet in 
diameter. Indians passed by the camp frequently and 
sometimes stopped to look at the strange white men 
or to beg something that they wanted. They were 
always readj^ to take any proffered gift, but an offer of 
candy or tobacco, which the Indians dearly love, was 
not sufficient to make them stand for a picture. As 
soon as they caught sight of a kodak they would either 
run away, if they saw any way to escape, or else hide 
their faces. If any of them became too inquisitive 
about camp, or outstayed their welcome, it was only 
necessary to produce a camera to make them go. 

The only way that a picture could be taken was by 
an unexpected snapshot when they were not looking. 
This was not an easy thing to do as they are keen eyed 
and always on the watch. For some time it seemed 
impossible to get any pictures but, fortunately, ration 
day came around while we were waiting, which 
afforded the desired opportunity. The Indians came 
singly and in groups, from every direction, happy 
and glad to share in Uncle Sam's bounty. While the 
distribution of provisions and clothing was in progress 
their interest and excitement was too great for them 
to notice any little thing like a kodak, and its click 
no longer had any terrors for poor Lo. 

An Apache chief, who lived on Carrizo Creek, was 
camped with his family at a temporary rancheria in 



198 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

the bnish, not far from us, and was a frequent visitor. 
He saw me taking pictures but the camera did not seem 
to disturb him in the least. It was the only instance of 
fearlessness which I witnessed among the Indians. I 
asked him one day if I might take a picture of himself 
and family, to which proposal he readily assented, pro- 
viding that I pay him one dollar. This I agreed to do 
and I went with him to his camp to take the picture. 
The woman and children were very shy and always hid 
in the presence of a stranger. I waited outside while 
he went in to bring out his family for the great event, 
but they refused to show themselves. This angered 
him so that he stormed and cussed awfully, but it did 
no good. As he did not demand his money in advance, 
he lost his dollar, but this sum was made up several 
times over in various gifts. The Apaches do a little 
farming by planting some corn, and although it was 
then the corn planting season, the only field work that 
we saw done was some desultory hoeing by a few old 
^squaws. 

In complexion the Apaches are very swarthy and are 
of a much darker color than the average Indian. In 
appearance and intelligence they are inferior to the 
Hopis, and in their persons and home life are wretch- 
edly dirty. However, this condition may be due to 
carelessness rather than the fear of water. On our 
return trip, after leaving the Fort, we saw a crowd of 
boys and young bucks swimming in the river and hav- 
ing a fine time. The pool was in plain sight of the 
road where it crosses the river, and reminded me 
of the old swimming hole in Plum Run, of my boyhood 
days back east. 

The Apache is an entirely different type of Indian 
from the Hopi, and is hardly fit for such a comparison. 




Sunset Mountain and Lava Bed 




Sunset Mountain Crater 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 201 

The Apaches are ignorant and superstitious, like all 
primitive people, and see signs and wonders in every- 
thing. Under the new regime they are rapidly im- 
proving and undoubtedly will, in time, make good 
citizens. 

One day I called on the Superintendent, who was 
busy, wdth his office full of Indians, trying some minor 
case of misdemeanor. I waited outside until the trial 
was concluded, when I was invited in. The atmosphere 
of Indians in that room, even with all of the doors and 
windows wide open, was something rank and altogether 
different from the Indian atmosphere of romance that 
we read about in books. 

While conversing with the Superintendent, a young 
man entered the room who had just returned home 
on a vacation after an absence of four years in an 
Indian School at Phoenix. The change that had taken 
place in him during that time had made a civilized 
young man out of a wild Indian and was wonderful. 
He wore a natty gray cadet uniform and looked very 
neat and clean. His hair was cut short and smoothly 
combed, while all wild Indians wear their hair long 
and tied back from the forehead with a band of cloth 
or bandana handkerchief. His name was Hoke Smith 
and he w^as evidently named after our former Secre- 
tary of the Interior. It was the custom, at one time, to 
give the names of prominent public men to the Indian 
boys in school. When the presence of the young man 
became known to the Indians outside, his friends 
filed into the room to greet their former acquaintance. 
They appeared to be greatly surprised on seeing him, 
and stood in open mouthed wonder gazing at the 
prodigy before them, whom they remembered only as 
a papoose. They made a great powwow over him, 



202 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

but the object of their affectionate regard failed to 
respond to their enthusiasm and sat stolidly in his 
chair, answering occasionally in monosyllables, pro- 
fessing not to know them — all of which seemed very 
funny to a mere spectator. 

By the river's bank we saw fresh beaver signs in 
many chips and stumps of trees that had been gnawed 
off by these industrious creatures, and the trunks 
and branches used in building their dams. The guide 
explained that beavers were numerous in the Apache 
country as the Indians never molested or killed them. 
They believe that the beaver has the power to control 
the water supply, and that while he is present in a 
stream the flow of water will continue, and that when 
he leaves a stream the water will dry up. They 
happen to reason from a wrong premise, which has a 
good result, as, by their mistake, an interesting and 
useful animal is preserved from extinction. 

The guide also told us why the Apaches do not eat 
fish. The streams in the White Mountains are full 
of trout but the Indians never catch nor eat them, as 
their sigii propensity and fatal symbolism prevents 
their doing so. Long years ago a serious epidemic of 
smallpox broke out among the Apaches and many of 
them died of the disease. They saw the dead bodies 
covered with dark spots which they supposed resem- 
bled those seen on the speckled trout. The sign at once 
condemned the fish and marked them as unfit for food. 
Here again, the Indian's false logic resulted in good 
by sparing the fish from being caught, until at a later 
day to furnish sustenance to the white man. 

Although the farther end of our journey as orig- 
inally planned, was reached at Fort Apache, we de- 
cided to extend the trip by going fifty miles farther 





4* .Wfllt^. 




Volcanic Cones and Cinder Field 




Lowell Observatory 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 205 

up into the mountains to a place called Paradise, so 
named for its beautiful scenery and fine trout streams. 

The first night after breaking camp we stopped in 
the pine woods at an old sawmill on a clear mountain 
stream. Some distance beyond this point we passed 
through a considerable grove of white oak trees, which 
were the only oak trees that we saw on the trip. The 
road went by the home of C. E. Cooley, an old time 
pioneer and Indian scout, who developed a fine farm 
in the midst of a trackless wilderness. He married an 
Apache squaw, lived in a comfortable house, and raised 
an interesting family of half breed children. We 
were running short of grain for the horses and bought 
of him a sack of oats at a good price. 

All the way from Fort Apache the road led up 
through primeval forests, with no sign of civilization 
except the sawmill and Cooley 's ranch just mentioned. 
After leaving the Springerville road the land was all 
virgin soil, without even a horse's track to mark the 
trail to our destination in the solitude of the wilder- 
ness. 

Upon the high plateaus and mountains of northern 
Arizona is one of the large, unbroken pine forests of 
the world. Being on government reservations it is 
protected and still retains its natural beauty and much 
wild life. In the midst of a grove of aspen trees of 
this great forest and on the banks of a rushing moun- 
tain stream, we pitched our camp. The grazing was 
excellent, and after their long desert trip of scant 
water and forage, the horses were manifestly pleased 
with the change and literally lived in clover. 

As soon as we were well settled in camp we got out 
our fishing tackle and tried our luck in luring members 
of the finny tribe to an inglorious death. We did not 



206 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

have a fisherman's fancy equipment of rod, reel, flies 
and basket, but only a boy's outfit of small hooks and 
lines tied to poles cut from bushes in the forest. We 
caught and used for bait grasshoppers in many bright 
colors that were flying through the tall grass, which 
imitated perfectly the artificial flies, as with outspread 
wings they floated on the water. The fish took the bait 
readily and we pulled them out as fast as we could 
string them on willow twigs in the old-fashioned style 
of brook fishing. 

Our camp was at an elevation of about nine thousand 
feet above the sea, where the nights are decidedly 
chilly. We spent the evenings in front of a wood fire 
of dry pine logs and enjoyed its genial warmth and 
cheerful blaze. 

The water in the river here is always ice cold and 
flows in continuous rapids. Pools seldom form except 
here and there where large rocks or fallen trees lie 
in the bed of the stream. These objects form eddies 
of deep water where the trout loves to hide and are 
favorite spots for casting the hook. It was in the rainy 
season and thunder showers occurred almost every 
afternoon, accompanied by vivid lightning and some- 
times hail. 

The low desert plains of southern Arizona and the 
high tableland of northern Arizona are like two sepa- 
rate worlds and give to Arizona its diversity of climate, 
flora and fauna. On the desert and foothills below the 
five thousand foot level the kingbird and dove were 
daily visitors at our camp, and always came in pairs. 
The kingbird is the harbinger of day, and whenever 
we heard its drowsy twitter in the morning, 

"The early pipe of half awakened birds," 




Jollying the Guide 




i:^^^^-i.A' '-■ "^^/^^-' '^■" 






End of the Trail 



ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 209 

we knew that dawn was breaking. We lost these birds 
at the sa\vinill below Cooley's, on our way up, and 
after that the robin and bluebird were our daily com- 
panions in their stead. 

Oh, the lovely pine forests of the high plateau region 
are charming beyond compare! All the elements of 
nature seem to conspire to make it an ideal spot. In 
many places the trees stand close together in dark 
masses, and again they are scattered about, giving 
the forest an open, parklike appearance. In the high 
reaches are many swales and meadows covered with 
grass and flowers, and bordered by trees that look as 
if they had been fashioned by the artistic hand of man. 
How shady and cool are these lovely woods ! The smell 
of pine and sweet fragrance of flowers fill the dreamy 
air. Blossoms of many varieties are seen on every 
side, the purple lupine, scarlet pentstemon and white 
achillea are the most numerous and conspicuous. The 
woods are vocal with the song of birds, and the flash of 
bird wings is seen frequently in the sunlight among 
the trees. Here is the summer home and breeding 
ground of the robin and bluebird, where they nest and 
rear their young. 

The canyon wren is one of the most interesting birds 
of the Southwest. It is small, like the eastern house 
wren, and equally sprightly. It lives in the canyons 
among the rocks, and peers curiously into every crack 
and cranny in search of its food. It does a spectacular 
stunt by making a succession of rapid movements of 
the body while standing still, that is amusing. Wlien 
it deigns to sing its song is pure melody. It starts 
on a high piccolo key and goes tripping down the 
chromatic scale without skipping a note. After a mo- 



210 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

ment's pause it repeats the strain one or more times, 
when it lapses into silence and disappears. 

After spending ten days in exploring the woods and 
trout fishing, we broke camp and began to travel back 
towards home over the same road we came, as there 
was none other available that a w^agon could travel. 
Before starting on our trip we had intended to go by 
way of Clifton and the Blue River road into the moun- 
tains, and return by way of the Mogollon Rimrock and 
the Tonto Basin, but learned that the road was im- 
passable from recent floods, and washouts had made 
all roads doubtful. 

One peculiarity of the trip was that we always 
seemed to be traveling on an up grade, even when we 
knew that we were going down hill. This impression 
may have been partly psychological, but whatever the 
reason, we felt sure that we were doing more climb- 
ing than coasting. 

We met a gang of Indians under a white boss, who 
were working on the road, smoothing the rough sur- 
face and making other repairs that were needed. The 
dangerous fords on the river had been cleared of 
obstructions, and fallen rocks and landslides removed 
from the road. The government employs Apaches to 
do this work on their reservation and pays them each 
one dollar a day for their labor. The school does its 
pupils more good by teaching them how to do some 
useful work of this kind than by giving them only 
theoretical book learning that they could probably 
never use. 

There was a decided change of temperature after 
we left the mountains and got back into the hot coun- 
try in the Gila Valley. We reached San Carlos in the 





sir 



r . 






♦.V 



Keet Seel 




Red Roek Canyon Cliff House 




ON THE ARIZONA FRONTIER 213 

evening, but crossed the Gila River before going into 
camp. 

It is an invariable rule in traveling on the desert 
during the rainy season to always cross a stream 
before making camp. A fierce rain storm or cloud- 
burst is liable to occur during the night that may cause 
a dry wash or river bed to become a raging torrent 
before morning and prevent crossing for an indefinite 
time. 

We spent the night trying to keep cool, but got little 
rest. The next day we journeyed up the Gila Valley 
to Fort Thomas where we spent a second night of heat 
and discomfort. When the night is insufferably hot, 
the day temperature in the sunshine can easily be 
imagined. However, the scorching heat did not seem 
to disturb the comfort of the wild life in the least, as 
it was all out and in motion. 

It was the quail's breeding season and many groups 
of young birds were collected in large flocks. The 
mother bird, who was always on guard, perched on 
some tree or shrub, kept a sharp lookout for the 
safety of her young brood which huddled on the ground 
below. When danger seemed imminent she gave a 
signal call that sounded like ''Quick, git! git!" when 
they either ran away and hid in the grass and brush, 
or rose in a body and flew away with a loud whir of 
wings. 

Instead of again traveling the long road around by 
Solomonville, we took a short cut through Eagle Pass 
in the Graham Mountains, which led up to higher 
ground in the Sulphur Spring valley, cool weather 
and home. There was no well marked wagon road 
that we could follow, but many cattle trails criss- 
crossed through the chaparral that were confusing and 



214 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

misleading. The absence of any good road caused 
some delay, but we finally managed to pull through 
over such roads as we could find. 

Driving a team of horses and wagon over a long 
rough road was not such an easy task as it seemed 
when we started out. Much of the time I had to drive 
by holding both reins in one hand while Avith the 
other hand I clung to the seat to keep from falling off 
the wagon in going up the steep grades. In going 
down hill, I worked the brake with one foot, and with 
the other braced myself on the footboard of the wagon 
box to preserve my equilibrium and avoid being pitched 
forward onto the horses. There was something doing 
every minute and no time to fall asleep. A full day 
of such strenuous work is fatiguing, but a perfect 
night's rest made me feel as good as new, and fit for 
another round. I lost fifteen pounds in weight, on 
the trip, but I never felt better nor happier in all my 
life. 




Nature's Decorations on Casa Blanca Cliff 




Canyon clc Chelly 



CHAPTER Vin 

PASSING OF THE APACHE 

Owing to the murders and atrocities enacted by the 
Indians on the white settlers of Kentucky one hun- 
dred years ago, that state was called the Dark and 
Bloody Ground; but painful as were the experiences 
of those early days, they were as nothing compared 
to the deeds of rapine, torture and murder that were 
committed by the Apaches in Arizona and the South- 
west. 

The Apaches were first met by the Spaniards in 1540, 
and were described and named as the Querches by 
Coronado, and later, as the Vaqueros by Benavides. 

The Apache nation belongs to the Athapascan or 
Tinneh family and consists of many tribes. Promi- 
nent among them are the Mimbreiios, Chiricahuas, 
Sierra Blancas, Mescaleros, Jicarillas, Aravaipas and 
Tontos. Other smaller bands exist within each tribe 
whose members are united by some bond of mutual 
interest but who acknowledge no leader except in war 
time. In private life the warrior is under no restraint 
and is free to do as he pleases. 

The name Apache is comparatively modern and was 
given by the Mexicans who borrowed it from the Mari- 
copas in whose language it signifies enemy.* The 
ancestors of the Apaches emigrated from the north 
and established themselves in their southern home by 

• J. G. Bourke, On the Border with Crook. 

217 



218 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

their fighting prowess, which gained them a place in 
the sun and the fear of their less warlike neighbors. 
They regard themselves as a superior race of beings 
and pride themselves on their efficiency in thievery, 
torture and murder. 

The Apache Indian is a fine type of physical develop- 
ment. Many of them are over six feet tall, have a large 
powerful frame, regular features and an intelligent 
countenance. The majority, however, are of only me- 
dium size, but large chested, full muscled, and built for 
strength and endurance. 

The Apaches were the last of the blanket Indians, 
and the wildest and hardest to subdue of any of the 
native tribes. Before they were put on reservations 
they roamed over mountains and plains. They were 
the real nomads of the prairies, the Bedouins of the 
desert, and Ishmaelites whose hands were against 
every man, and every man's hand was against them. 
Their field of operations covered a wide territory. It 
extended from central Texas on the east, to the Rio 
Colorado on the west and from the MogoUon Moun- 
tains in nothern Arizona, far south into the rugged 
Sierra Madres of Mexico. 

They had no fixed habitation and frequently changed 
their places of abode. Their houses were crude, oval 
shaped huts called wickiups, made of poles, brush and 
grass, that afforded an indifferent shelter. Like all 
Indians, they are natural gluttons and in times of 
plenty gorged themselves until almost helpless ; but 
when food was scarce they could starve with equal 
facility and endure a period of famine that was almost 
incredible. Being desert born and accustomed to 
drought, they could go a long time without water and 
not suffer. If pressed by thirst, they placed a pebble 



,^j.^jA: 







Surprised 




Navajo Women Visiting 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 221 

in the mouth to promote the flow of saliva, or sucked 
moisture from a piece of green cactus. 

Their wants were suppHed by native foods with 
which they were familiar. Deer and antelope were 
plentiful, and edible fruits and roots grew in abun- 
dance. These consisted of the fruit of the giant cactus, 
prickly pear, Spanish bayonet, mesquite beans, acorns, 
piiion nuts, wild potatoes, et cetera. The juice of the 
barrel cactus quenched their thirst if there was no 
water. 

The wild Apache was agile and fleet of foot; he 
could easily run down and catch a deer in a race. All 
of his senses were active, and nothing escaped his keen 
vision. He possessed unusual skill in reading sign 
and following a trail, and saw much that an untrained 
white man would fail to notice. If pursued, he cov- 
ered up his trail so that it could not be followed. When 
a party of hostiles wished to separate, they scattered 
without leaving any sign, to meet again, miles away, 
at some agreed rendezvous. They had great power 
of endurance and could travel a long distance with- 
out a halt or any rest. They moved rapidly, carrying 
only their weapons, and wearing very few clothes. 
Their food and water they found by the wayside as 
they journeyed on. Their mode of travel enabled them 
to elude any pursuers whose movements were neces- 
sarily hampered by their baggage, and a slow moving 
pack train. 

In warfare the aim of the Apache was to see, and not 
be seen, to kill and not be killed. He was very skillful 
in concealing his person and could so hide his body in 
the sand, grass or brush, that his presence was not 
suspected until he began to shoot. They signaled by 
means of fire and smoke, or left signs on the trail which 



222 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

told their comrades of the presence of strangers, where 
to meet and how to fight. 

Their custom was to lie in wait for the traveler 
until he reached some point on the road where he could 
be successfully ambushed, before making an attack. 
In traveling through their country numbers usually 
counted for safety, but did not always mean im- 
munity. A small party of white men who were well 
armed and on the alert, was less liable to be attacked 
than a large company of inexperienced and careless 
stragglers. The Indians who were on the watch imme- 
diately discovered the difference and made their sig- 
nals accordingly. They were never in a hurry, but 
always took plenty of time to wait for a favorable 
opportunity to make an attack. The absence of Indian 
sign did not necessarily mean that there was no danger, 
as all signs were sometimes purposely obliterated in 
order to deceive those who might be following on their 
trail, and the danger was often the greatest when there 
was no sign in evidence. The old scouts' laconic and 
lucid advice was: ''When you see Apache sigTi, be 
keerful, and when you don't see nary sign, be more 
keerf ul. ' ' 

The secrecy and celerity with which the Apaches 
moved made it altogether uncertain when or where 
they would strike, or who would be their next victim. 
The only thing that a white man could do when brought 
face to face with a hostile was to stand his ground 
and fight, as he then had an even chance of killing or 
being killed. It was far better than to surrender and 
be made a prisoner. That meant slow death by torture. 

The Apaches have nothing that can be called re- 
ligion and no church has ever established a successful 
mission among them. They are very superstitious 




Typical Navajos 




Navajo Sweat House 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 225 

about anything that seems mysterious, and are afraid 
of the dark, death and evil spirits. They believe in 
both good and bad spirits, but are not concerned about 
the former, who cannot do them any harm, but are con- 
stantly in fear of the latter, and continually seek to 
propitiate them. They avoid travelling in the dark 
or making an attack at night, and abandon or destroy 
any shelter wherein some one has died. The name of 
any dead member of the tribe is never mentioned if it 
can possibly be avoided, and then only in a circum- 
stantial way. They bury their dead in the ground at 
night, in great secrecy, and Cremony states that no 
white man ever witnessed an Apache funeral. 

Every tribe had its favorite hunting ground and 
fought its own battles, but its activities w^ere not con- 
fined to any particular locality. The Indians spent 
most of their time on their rancherias, which were 
located in almost inaccessible places in the mountains, 
far distant from any white settlement or public route 
of travel. From these secluded retreats they sallied 
forth on their thieving and murdering expeditions and 
had nothing to fear. They were a constant dread and 
menace to the early settlers of the Southwest, and were 
feared most by those who knew them best. It has been 
estimated that no less than ten thousand persons were 
killed or driven out of Arizona by the Indians in the 
early days. 

The wild Apaches were the most ferocious and im- 
placable of all savages, and have never been surpassed 
in barbarity and cruelty. They were always the un- 
compromising foe of progress, and successively and 
successfully resisted the Spanish, Mexican and Ameri- 
can civilization until their final surrender, under 
Geronimo, to General Miles in 1887. 



226 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

The Apaclies first came into general notice in our 
country about the time of the Mexican war. They 
were barely mentioned before that important event by 
travelers who ventured into their country at different 
times on tours of adventure and discovery, and were 
always described as a dangerous foe. Pattie, in his 
''Personal Narrative," speaks of meeting them at the 
Santa Rita copper mines in New Mexico as early as 
1832, where they were known as the Copper Mine or 
Warm Spring Indians. After that they were fre- 
quently met by government forces who were operating 
in that country on military affairs, or with some geo- 
graphical, geological or railroad survey, in an effort 
to open up the country to settlers, and to mining, agri- 
culture and commercial enterprise. 

At first the Indians acted friendly towards their 
visitors, but soon became hostile and used every means 
in their power to drive them away. Just when or how 
the trouble originated is not definitely known. It was 
likely not due to any one specific act, but the result 
of a succession of unfriendly deeds committed by dif- 
ferent parties at various times which caused their 
enmity and bloody deeds of reprisal. Cremony, in his 
"Life Among the Apaches," tells of meeting an old 
Indian at the Santa Rita copper mines in 1850, who 
was the only Apache that he ever saw with white hair. 
He was over six feet tall, had a powerful frame and an 
imposing presence. As Cremony could speak the 
Apache language fluently, they soon became great 
friends and spent many hours together in confidential 
talks. The Indian said that when he was a young man 
there were many more of his people than there were 
then, and that they lived at peace with their neighbors. 

After the Santa Fe trappers and traders came into 




Moencopi 







^' ^^^^^>^- 







Shipaulovi 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 229 

the country, there was a decided change. The strangers 
sometimes got drunk, became quarrelsome and fought 
among themselves, killing each other and also occa- 
sionally killing an Indian. They mistreated the In- 
dians in every conceivable manner, which conduct 
naturally was resented. It is even asserted that they 
were shot and killed out of pure devilment, as if hunt- 
ing Indians was only sport, like shooting deer. An 
Indian war followed in which the innocent suffered 
more than the guilty, as any white man was liable to 
fall a victim to savage wrath. 

The unsettled and dangerous character of the land in 
early frontier days is indicated by the half humorous 
description given by J. Ross Browne, of his experience 
as an artist in the Apache country. "Sketching in 
Arizona is rather a ticklish pursuit. I shall not readily 
forget my experience of the caiions and thickets and 
the queer feelings produced by the slightest sound that 
fell upon my ears as I hurriedly committed the out- 
lines to paper. It has been my fortune to furnish the 
world with sketches of Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pales- 
tine, the Continent of Europe, Iceland and some other 
points, many of which w^ere achieved under circum- 
stances of peculiar difficulty; but I never before 
traveled through a country in which I was compelled 
to pursue the fine arts with a revolver strapped around 
my body, a double barreled shotgun lying across my 
knees, and a half dozen soldiers around with Sharp's 
carbines keeping guard in the distance. Even w^ith 
all the safegiiards of pistols and soldiers, I am free 
to admit that on occasions of this kind I frequently 
looked behind to see how the country appeared in its 
rear aspect. An artist, with an arrow in his back, 
may be a very picturesque object to contemplate at 



230 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

one's leisure; but I would rather draw him on paper 
than sit for the portrait myself. All the way up from 
Fort Yuma I was beset by these difficulties ; and if any 
man of genius and enterprise thinks he could do better 
under the circumstances, he is welcome to try." 

The Indians naturally objected to the white man's 
intrusion into their country and his trespassing upon 
their land. They considered themselves to be the real 
owners by prior right of possession, and when at- 
tacked, fought bravely in defense of their homes. The 
white man acted on the doctrine that "might makes 
right" and proceeded to take what he wanted, usually 
under the pretense of some treaty, which was broken as 
often as the occasion required. In like manner the 
weak of the earth have always had to yield to the power 
of the strong since the world began. 

At the time when the United States acquired owner- 
ship of the territory of New Mexico, the Apache coun- 
try was a veritable terra incognita, and little was 
known of its inhabitants. By the transfer of territory, 
the government agreed to keep the Apaches from raid- 
ing into Mexico to rob and kill its people. The con- 
tract proved to be greater than Uncle Sam expected, 
but was eventually successfully executed. 

The Apaches did not fear the Mexicans, whom they 
held in contempt as an inferior race of people, and 
did with them about as they pleased. In an attack 
the men either ran away or were killed, and the women 
and children were carried otf into captivity. Many of 
the women became the wives of Apache warriors and 
the children were adopted by the tribe. These foray^ 
not only increased the numerical strength of the In- 
dians, but also furnished them many needed horses 
and cattle that were driven away over hundreds of 




Hopi House, Mishongnovi 




Captive Eagles 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 233 

miles of difficult trails. Many of tlie towns in north- 
ern Mexico were enclosed by adobe walls as a pro- 
tection against the Apaches, but these were of very 
little service as the people were too cowardly to use 
them in their own defense. The Apaches had the 
populace completely terrorized, and whenever the cry 
of "Los Apaches!" was heard, everybody fled in fear, 
seeking some hiding place instead of fighting and de- 
fending themselves. The Indians took what they 
wanted and those who were fortunate enough to 
escape the savage horde, were only too glad to get 
away alive. 

After the Mexican war was over, the Apaches found 
that they had a different foe to fight. The rush to the 
California gold fields was on, and the western country 
began to fill up with eastern settlers. Many of the 
Argonauts w^ent by the Gila Kiver route, which led 
through the Apache country, and the Indians found 
them to be a different class of fighters from the spine- 
less Mexicans. Some of the immigrants stopped in 
Tucson, while others located on farms and cattle 
ranches in the Santa Cruz valley, or drifted into the 
adjacent mountains to prospect for minerals. The 
Apaches quickly took note of this invasion of their 
ancestral home, and immediately proceeded to stop the 
influx of undesirable strangers. The few settlers found 
it difficult to defend themselves against the Indian ma- 
rauders. After the troops were ordered back to the 
Rio Grande during the Civil War, the country was 
left wholly unprotected, and the few civilians who re- 
mained had to make their escape as best they could. 
The abandonment of the country by the military forces 
gave the Indians the impression that they were the 



234 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

cause of the soldiers leaving, which made them all the 
more bold and daring. 

Coloradas Mangas, Cochise and Geronimo were the 
Apaches' greatest chiefs, and were leaders of mmsual 
force and ability. Among the minor chiefs were Del- 
gadito, Victorio, Juh, Chatto, Nana, Natchez, Bonito 
and Ponce. Events which led up to the capture of 
Coloradas Mangas and Cochise — the killing of the 
former and the escape of the latter — were important 
factors in starting a long and bloody Apache war. The 
Indians w^ere accused of deceit and treachery, as if 
they were the only guilty ones; but these traits of 
character are common to all people, both savage and 
civilized, and were practiced in this instance, as usual, 
by both parties to the controversy. 

Some time after active hostilities had actually be- 
gun between the Indians and the military, Coloradas 
Mangas was captured and held a prisoner in an adobe 
hut. During the night, as he was lying asleep on the 
floor of the prison, the guard prodded his feet with a 
hot bayonet. When the chief moved to avoid the 
annoyance, the guard shot and killed him, making the 
excuse that he was trying to escape. A statement in 
McClintock's "History of Arizona" makes it appear 
that the killing of Mangas was deliberate murder. The 
officer in command instructed the g-uard in detail as 
follows: "Men, that old murderer has got away from 
every soldier's command, and has left a trail of blood 
for five hundred miles on the old stage line. I want 
him dead or alive tomorrow morning — do you under- 
stand? I w\ant him dead." 

Some time prior to this event Cochise was asked to 
come in for a conference, under a flag of truce, and was 
questioned as to charges made against him of aiding 



■ k* 



r- 



t^ <^- 



, ^ 




'^ 



Religious Devotee 




Albino Antelope Leader and Snake Priests 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 237 

in a raid on the Ward ranch. He denied having taken 
any part in the affair, or having any knowledge of it, 
and his innocence was afterwards established. Not- 
withstanding that he was present under the protection 
of a flag of truce, he was forcibly detained. He cut his 
way out through the back part of the tent and escaped, 
but not until after he was seriously wounded. His 
brother and four other chiefs who were with him, were 
killed, and their bodies hung on a tree as a warning 
to other Indians who might incur military displeasure. 
The Indians had several white men captive whom they 
offered to give in exchange for the prisoners. Lieu- 
tenant Bascom, who was in command and a young in- 
experienced officer just arrived from the east, foolishly 
refused the proffer, when the white prisoners w^ere all 
put to death by torture. 

The rank injustice of this affair, together with the 
killing of Mangas, so enraged Cochise that he swore 
vengeance on the whites, which dire threat he carried 
into execution with deadly effect during twelve years 
of bloody warfare. Up to that time Cochise claimed he 
had killed Mexicans only, but after what had happened, 
it w^ould also be war to the knife with the Americans. 

When the California volunteers entered Arizona 
early in the Civil War, they found the country in a very 
unsettled state. It did not take them long to find the 
Indians, and they were soon engaged in bloody com- 
bats. One of their severest battles was fought in 
Apache Pass, where a large force of Apaches, under 
Cochise, was assembled to dispute the road. For a 
time the result of the engagement seemed doubtful, 
until the soldiers succeeded in bringing up their can- 
non into position. A few shots from the big gun was 
not only a surprise to the Indians, but the bursting 



238 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

shells in their midst killed and wounded many of them 
and put the rest to flight. Some of the captured In- 
dians said that they were confident of winning the 
fight until the "wagon" was fired at them. They had 
never seen a mounted cannon, and when they saw this 
one on wheels, took it literally for a wagon, which 
gave them a new idea of fighting. 

To read of the dreadful deeds of the Apaches as told 
in books written by Cremony, Pumpelly, Browne, 
Bourke, Humfreville, McClintock and others, is enough 
to make the heart stop beating and the blood run cold 
from horror. For fiendish ingenuity in inventing and 
inflicting the greatest torture, the Apache excelled all 
the other Indians, and the women even surpassed the 
men. A common method of torture was to fill the body 
with cactus thorns that automatically buried themselves 
deeper in the flesh and had to be cut out, if removed. 
Another practice was to stake out the victim on the 
ground, face up, and then start a small fire burning on 
top of the body until life was extinct. The staking 
out, however, was preferably done on an ant hill, if one 
could be found, where the victim was soon tortured 
to death by millions of ants. For a change the captive 
was sometimes tied, head down, on a wagon wheel, and 
a fire started under his head, while the savages yelled 
and danced about in fiendish glee. These are only a 
few of the methods used in torturing prisoners ; but the 
absolute ruthlessness of the Apache is contained in 
the saying, '^A coward may kill an enemy but only an 
Apache has the heart to kill a friend." 

Captain Humfreville, in his book, relates the follow- 
ing stories about Cochise and Geronimo. "Cochise 
was once asked the question if he was sorry for any- 
thing he had ever done while out on his numerous 




The Enchanted Mesa 




Road of Endless Distance 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 241 

forays. He replied that one day he roped a Mexican, 
and after stripping him of his clothes, staked him out 
naked in the hot sun over an ant hill. When the ants 
began to work up the nostrils and into the mouth and 
ears of the helpless man, Cochise said that his cries 
were terrible, and the poor man died a lingering death 
in great agony. He said on every dark night, when all 
was quiet, he could hear the groans and screams of 
the dying man. For that reason he said he was sorry 
that he had tortured him and wished that he had shot 
him instead." 

Geronimo also tells how he became a chief. "When 
I was a little boy," he said, ''my people made many 
raids into Mexico. I also noticed that many Apaches 
were killed and that sometimes a whole war party 
would be lost. No one could account for this, not even 
the medicine men. 

* ' The first party I went with made a raid into Mexico 
and one day we came to a little Mexican village. The 
Mexicans came out and gave the Indians mescal and 
most of them got drunk. I did not take any as I 
thought it was bad medicine. When the drunken In- 
dians were lying and rolling on the ground, the Mexi- 
cans came and killed every one of them with knives. 
I jumped on my horse and went back to my people. 
Pretty soon I took a war party down to the same place. 
The Mexicans came out with the mescal just like the 
first time and my men made believe to be very drunk. 
Then I gave the signal and we killed every Mexican. 
This made me a big man and when I went home all the 
people called me a big chief. ' ' 

The story of the Indian has often been told by the 
white man, but the other side of the controversy has 
seldom been mentioned. What a full blooded Apache, 



242 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

named Mike Burns, who lives at Fort McDowell, has 
to say on the subject makes an interesting record. 
The story is found in volume three of Parish's "His- 
tory of Arizona" where it appears in print for the first 
time. He was the only male survivor of the bloody 
battle of the Cave, in Fish Creek Canyon in Arizona, 
which was fought in 1872 and graphically described by 
Captain J. G. Bourke in his book "On the Border with 
Crook." This spot, where seventy-six dead Indians 
were found in the cave after the battle, is in plain view, 
high upon a cliff, on the road to the Roosevelt Dam. 
During the progress of the fight a little Indian boy, 
not over four years old, came out of the cave and stood 
upon the parapet of the cliff, thumb in mouth, looking 
unscared into the belching gun barrels of the soldiers. 
He miraculously escaped the storm of bullets and was 
caught and saved from death by one of the Apache 
scouts. Captain Burns, the officer in command, took 
the boy home, sent him to school, and gave him his own 
name. 

During the last years of the Apache war those who 
surrendered lived on reservations under the care of 
the government. Chief Geronimo and his band of 
renegade Ghiricahuas were the last to give themselves 
up. As an aid to their final capture, a company of 
Apache scouts was enlisted from the various tribes to 
trail the hostiles, and they rendered excellent service. 
The scouts did not take kindly to discipline, and were 
hard to control unless they were permitted to travel 
in single file, as was their old custom. However, they 
were loyal and true to their leaders, and did effective 
work in running down and capturing the hostiles. 

The Apache war lasted several years, and cost the 
nation many lives and much treasure. After their final 




The Haystacks 




Black Rock 



PASSING OF THE APACHE 245 

pursuit and surrender at Fort Bowie, Arizona, the 
Indians were disarmed and marched to Bowie station, 
on the Southern Pacific railroad. Here they were 
put on the cars — men, women and children — and taken 
to Fort Marion, Florida, and later on were moved to 
Fort Sill, Oklahoma. 

The Apaches are now living in peace on their San 
Carlos and White Mountain reservations, and it is 
safe to predict that there will never be another Indian 
war. The fierce Apaches are rapidly becoming civi- 
lized — engaged in farming and stock raising, and give 
every promise of becoming useful and honorable citi- 
zens of the nation. 



CHAPTER IX 



RANCH REMINISCENCES 



Ranch life is apt to become monotonous and tire- 
some if lived too long without a change. It is some- 
times regarded as a duplication of farm life, but it is 
not. Everything is unfamiliar and primitive and while 
it has its attractions, it also has some discomforts and 
hardships that have to be endured. Spending a few 
days on a ranch for pleasure is quite different from 
living there. The magnet that attracts and compen- 
sates for the isolation and loneliness of such a life, is 
the hope of financial reward in profits derived from 
the cattle business. Neither is the life all dull monot- 
ony, as many things happen to furnish excitement. 

It may interest the reader to have related some 
of the incidents of ranch life that have come under the 
observation of the writer during the last thirty-five 
years ; and, as some of the experiences are personal, it 
will also be necessary to mention some names. 

My two younger brothers, Edward and William, 
started a cattle ranch in Railroad Pass in southeast- 
ern Arizona in 1882, in which I became a partner in 
1884. William was called Bill for short and Edward 
was known as the Judge, having been elected Judge of 
Cochise County, Arizona, for two successive terms. 
Bill started first for the Arizona country to investi- 
gate a gold mine on the glowing representations of a 
friend, but after looking the ground over, he decided 

246 




Desert Mirage Lake 







Watching the Snake Race 
(Note Mirage Effect on the Skyline) 



RANCH REMINISCENCES 249 

that ranching offered quicker and better returns than 
mining, and selected a location for a cattle ranch in 
Railroad Pass. 

In this region, at that time, the grass was excellent 
but the water was scarce, which is the reason that a 
location was not made sooner. Some surface water 
w^as found in several small springs and running 
streams in the Dos Cabezas Mountains on the south 
side of the Pass during the wet season, but these mostly 
dried up after the rains ceased. Wells also were dug in 
the hope of finding water, but these, too, proved dis- 
appointing. However, perseverance had its reward, 
and after spending some time in exploring the country, 
a large concealed spring was found on the north side of 
the Pass, in the foothills of the Pinaleho Mountains. 
A prospect hole was dug in dry ground but on a 
promising spot in a clump of willows in Wood Canyon 
Wash. Here a good flow of excellent water was ob- 
tained at a shallow depth, which is the only spring 
within a radius of ten miles, and one of the best in the 
country. 

Soon after my arrival at the ranch, on my first trip 
to Arizona in April, 1884, Bill and I rode from our 
temporary camp on the south side over to our new 
spring on the north side of the Pass, a distance of 
twelve miles, to choose a building site and agree on 
a plan for a ranch house. We camped in a tent, but 
owing to the Apache troubles we considered it unsafe 
to sleep there. We took our blankets and made a bed 
under a spreading juniper tree among the rocks on a 
hillside overlooking the ranch, where we could see and 
yet not be seen. Our safety required this precaution 
as the hostiles were out on the war path and might 
jump the ranch at any time. 



250 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

During our stay a lone horseman rode in one day 
who proved to be a neighboring rancher named George 
Frisk, and was fully armed after the custom of the 
country. He claimed that his cattle grazed on the land 
we occupied and objected to our locating there. He 
had no title to the land nor owned any water right in 
that vicinity. We told him that as we had found and 
developed the spring on the public domain, and had 
legally located the land as a homestead, it belonged to 
us and that we proposed to keep it. After some 
friendly talk he manifested less hostile feeling and 
rode away mollified. The home ranch is established 
at this spring which is five miles north of the Southern 
Pacific Railroad, and fifteen miles northeast from Will- 
cox by the wagon road. 

My first visit to the ranch was one of the most pleas- 
ant experiences of my life. Everything was new and 
strange, but full of interest; and the desert attracted 
me wonderfully. I was so much impressed by what I 
saw that after my return home to Topeka, Kansas, I 
hunted for books on Arizona and soon accumulated 
a number of entertaining volumes. My interest kept 
pace with my reading, and during the past thirty-five 
years I have bought every book which I could find that 
referred in any manner to Arizona. In 1908 I gave my 
Arizona library to the Southwest Museum in Los 
Angeles, California, where it is installed in its per- 
manent home in a room of the Caracol Tower. It num- 
bers fully twelve thousand volumes and I am still busy 
collecting Arizoniana. 

Our ranch was criss-crossed by Apache trails in 
many directions, as it was a part of their old hunting 
ground. Their main trail into Mexico also crossed the 
ranch diagonally through Railroad Pass from north- 




Resting the Flock 







A Desert Outfit 



EANCH REMINISCENCES 253 

west to southeast. A chain of forts was built on this 
route that extended from San Carlos on the Gila River 
to the ^^lexican border. This road was much traveled 
before and during the war, and the forts furnished pro- 
tection alike to soldiers and settlers, .^fter hostilities 
ceased they were no longer needed, when most of them 
were abandoned and the trail forsaken. This route was 
the one followed by General Crook in his pursuit of 
the renegade Apaches in 1883, and was the trail by 
which they were returned to their reservation at Fort 
Apache after their capture in Mexico. 

As the Indians had accumulated much live stock and 
other war material on their raid, their trail, which 
passed near our ranch house, was littered with worn 
out and abandoned horses and cattle and other impedi- 
menta. 

The question is sometimes asked why we ventured 
into such a dangerous country to live and do business. 
To me this act did not seem any more dangerous than 
enlisting in the army, in which I had had some ex- 
perience during the Civil War. It was only taking a 
chance on whom the Indians might kill or capture next. 
Some one had to take the risk of opening the country 
to settlement, and the opportunities for establishing 
a successful business were sufficient to justify the 

venture. 

On mv second trip to the ranch in the fall of 1885 
my brother-in-law, Valentine Lorentz, an Ohio farmer, 
met me at Topeka and accompanied me on the trip. 
As we expected to do some hunting and there was also 
a good chance of meeting hostile Indians, we both took 
along our Winchester rifles. My gun was one of the 
large model forty-five seventy-five variety, that dis- 
charged a bottle necked shell. It was a powerful gun 



254 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

to shoot, but never became a favorite with the ranch- 
men as it was said to sometimes backfire when the 
shell exploded, which made it more dangerous at the 
breech than at the muzzle. 

After a few days of horseback riding and looking 
over the ranch, we planned a trip into the Dos Cabezas 
Mountains to visit the Fowler and McGregor gold 
mine, of which we had heard much, and that has since 
developed into a large copper property. Bill acted as 
scout and guide, and conducted us over the Gold Gulch 
Trail which led up into the mountains. We spent a 
comfortable night at the mine, but the air was full of 
exciting rumors of Apache raids which were reported 
as then happening in the vicinity. A woman had been 
wounded during the day at the Riggs Ranch in Pinery 
Canyon not far off; all of the horses for use in the fall 
roundup had been stolen from the Chiricahua Cattle 
Company's corral at the Suljjhur Spring Ranch during 
the previous night; and Mike Noonan had been shot 
dead in the early morning at his home in the Sulphur 
Spring Valley. This startling news caused us some 
concern as to our safety on the return trip, as it was 
never certain where the Indians would strike next. 
We started home in the early afternoon by a short 
cut down East Canyon without seeing any Indians, 
but expecting to meet them any minute. I had the 
good luck to kill a young deer on the trail which I 
packed home on my horse, that made an acceptable 
addition to the ranch larder. 

We heard nothing more of the Indians, but noticed 
after reaching home that Mr. Lorentz's countenance 
w^ore an unusually serious expression. Nothing spe- 
cial developed, however, until the next day when he 
surprised us by asking if he could be taken to the rail- 




Hieroglyphics Near Adamana 




The Sky Army 



KANCH EEMINISCENCES 257 

road station as lie wanted to go home. Bill said that 
it was impossible for him to go that day, but that if 
he must go he would take him to Bowie Station in the 
morning. The scare stories w^hich he had heard un- 
nerved him, and he regarded his wife and children at 
home of more importance than the Apaches and was 
impatient to start back at once. 

After a few days of routine at the ranch. Bill and I 
decided that we would visit some neighboring ranches 
in the upper Sulphur Spring and Aravaipa Valleys, 
and learn more about the doings of the Apaches. 

Ten miles west of us, George Judd, a boyhood friend, 
who had also caught the western fever, had started a 
new ranch, and he was the first on our visiting list. 
As we approached his cabin we caught sight of him 
before he saw us, chopping and hauling firewood. We 
stepped out of sight behind some big rocks and agreed 
to give him a scare. We gave a blood curdling Apache 
war whoop and watched to see its effect. His only 
weapon was an ax, but he bravely stood his ground, 
ready to meet any threatening danger. Not to keep 
him long in suspense we stepped out again into the 
open, where he could see us, and began to laugh and 
wave our arms to attract his attention. He recognized 
us at once, and when we met, we complimented him 
on his courage. He said when he heard our yell he 
felt sure the Apaches had him and was much relieved 
when he found himself with friends. He admitted that 
the experience had taught him a lesson, never again 
to leave the house without his gun. 

Together we went to the house, where we found a 
half dozen men who had met there for self defense 
should the Indians make an attack. They had a little 
black dog which they called Geronimo, that the hostiles 



258 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

had lost while on the march, too footsore to travel any 
farther. There were plenty of Indian signs about but 
none very fresh, which indicated that the Apaches had 
already passed by and gone on into Mexico. Later we 
heard that on their way out they had killed two miners 
not far from Willcox, who were traveling the public 
road going to their mine in the mountains. 

Supper was soon ready and eaten in camp style, 
after which preparations were made for spending the 
night. We decided to sleep in the house, which w^as a 
one room board shack with all of its cracks, doors and 
windows open. The rude home-made table and benches 
were soon carried out and our blankets spread upon 
the bare floor, foot to foot, and heads against the wall, 
which about covered all the floor space. After lying 
dowm, visiting began in earnest by each one contribut- 
ing his share of news, and between the stories told and 
pranks played, it was late in the night before we went 
to sleep. 

The next morning after breakfast we bade our genial 
host and jolly companions good-by and rode on up the 
valley to the Sierra Bonita Ranch, which was located 
and established by Colonel H. C. Hooker in 1873. The 
Colonel went into that country from New England as 
a government contractor to furnish beef to the frontier 
army. He was engaged in this work for many years 
while his ranch was growing into one of the show 
places of Arizona. From Hooker's we pushed on to 
the Eureka Springs Ranch in the Aravaipa Canyon, 
which is a continuation of the Sulphur Spring Valley, 
but with its water shed running in the opposite direc- 
tion. At their junction is an extensive area covered 
by smooth grassgrown rolling hills, that resemble the 
fixed waves of a billowy sea. We were joined in the 












^^ 



Marsh Pass 



n 




'■"^Hm 




^r^^^'A-jr^-'^ 



5» "^ ''^'^- \Z' -^ jB» ^i 







■ :^-' 


^■jS^i>.. -^ ^ • • • 


•-•■'^^ 





.-4 



Agathla Butte and Comb Ridge 



RANCH REMINISCENCES 261 

ride by a Mr. "W. H. Breckenridge, an old timer, who 
liad many thrilling tales to tell about the Indians. 
Under the panicky circumstances our excited imagina- 
tions could almost see skulking savages flitting about 
in the evening shadows, and made every cactus stalk 
look like an Apache lance and every yucca plume ap- 
pear like a feathered scalp lock. 

The Eureka Ranch, at the time of our visit, was 
owned by the Leitch Brothers but has changed hands 
several times since. It is one of the best ranches 
in the state of Arizona and controls many miles of 
fine grazing land. Its herds of fat cattle feeding on 
seemingly endless meadows of rich gramma grass was 
a pleasing sight. On one of our rides over the hills we 
caught sight of a herd of antelope feeding on a hill- 
side and immediately gave chase. I took a long shot 
at the leader with my Winchester, which evidently hit 
him, but did not stop his running. Bill then took after 
him alone and after running some distance got near 
enough to bring him down with a shot from his re- 
volver. An examination revealed that my shot had 
broken one of his forelegs above the knee, yet the ef- 
fect scarcely checked his speed. I took the head home 
and had it mounted, and it is now hanging in the room 
of the Arizona Library with other local trophies of 
the chase. 

In the fall of 1887 a party of six Topeka friends 
made a trip to California by the southern route and 
planned to stop over at the ranch. The party con- 
sisted of the writer, his wife and sister, Mr. and Mrs. 
G. B. Palmer and son, Paul. Although the renegade 
Apaches had surrendered recently, it was not certain 
that all had returned to the reservation, which made 



262 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

it risky for women and children to venture into the 
wild haunts of the hostiles. 

We detrained at Willcox where the Judge met us 
and took us by buckboard conveyance, in two vehicles, 
over fifteen miles of good wagon road to the ranch. 
The ranch house at that time contained only two 
rooms, which were too small to accommodate the com- 
pany, and tents were pitched to receive the overflow. 
The women and children occupied the "spare room" 
and the other room served as kitchen and dining room. 
The tents furnished sleeping quarters for the men. 
The peace and quiet of the wilderness was enjoyed by 
all; but there was apprehension of possible danger 
from the Indians. Naturally the women felt nervous 
and made frequent trips to the window to see if any 
Indians were actually coming, but luckily for us none 
appeared. 

The men took frequent horseback rides over the 
hills in search of game during the day, but with little 
success, and seemed to have better luck hunting at 
night. Folding cots stood at the sides of the tent 
leaving the flap entrance open. Coyotes frequented 
the neighborhood and were often heard in shrill sere- 
nades as they prowled in the vicinity of the camp dur- 
ing the night. At times they became bold and ap- 
proached very near, but paid dearly for their temerity 
by coming once too often. One night when the moon 
was shining brightly, they were more noisy than usual, 
and Mr. Palmer got up in pajamas, and with his trusty 
double barreled shotgun in hand, sallied forth into the 
open and soon laid two of the varmints low. Next 
morning they were brought in and skinned, and later 
on their pelts were made into handsome rugs. Many 
other small varmints like cats, skunks, trade rats, etc., 




Laguna Canyon 




Wetherill's Pack Mules, Annie and Red 



RANCH REMINISCENCES 265 

infested the camp and caused some disturbance but 
did no particular damage. 

Not many nights, after this experience the same gang 
of noisy coyotes was heard prowling about the prem- 
ises. Being out early in the morning looking for game, 
I caught sight of them and, taking quick aim, blazed 
away into the bunch. The shot dropped one of the 
coj'otes as if it were dead, and I throw the rifle over 
my shoulder and started to pick it up. I had taken 
but a few steps forward when the corpse began to kick 
and bounce about like a chicken with its head cut off. 
Its erratic movements soon ceased and crawling to its 
feet and looking about, it started to run away. Its 
movements at first were weak and wabbly, but it gained 
strength and speed as it ran, and soon disappeared 
over a ridge. I was so interested in watching its 
antics that I forgot to shoot again until it was too late. 
The bullet failed to reach a vital spot but apparently 
creased the skull and shocked the brain enough to pro- 
duce temporary paralysis. 

My cot stood at the entrance of the tent with my 
head near the door when lying down, and here I met 
another unusual adventure. One night I was awak- 
ened suddenly by something jerking vigorously at my 
pillow. I could not imagine what it meant but re- 
mained quiet and awaited further developments. The 
thing was soon repeated, when I raised up, turned my 
head quickly and saw standing in the doorway near 
my pillow a tall slender bird like a stork. After a few 
moments of mutual surprise the bird turned about, 
ducked low, and flew swiftly out into the night. It 
was evident that Doctor Stork was looking for a pa- 
tient but made the mistake of his life by calling at the 
wrong house. 



266 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

While in California I bought a lot of fruit trees, 
which, on my return trip in the spring of 1888, I 
planted in a fenced inclosure below the spring where 
they could be irrigated. Although they received but 
little attention after I left the place, they grew even 
better than was expected and have since yielded much 
fine fruit. These trees seemed destined to have a mis- 
sion, as their products have been displayed in various 
exhibits, during recent years, to show the horticultural 
possibilities of Arizona. 

Just before our leaving the ranch for home, Charles 
Graves, one of the cowboys, mentioned that he had 
seen deer signs in the vicinity and said he believed that 
we could get one if we went after it. This we decided 
to do and were not slow in getting started. We 
mounted our horses and rode off in the direction of 
Dos Cabezas Mountains. We had not gone far until 
Charlie intimated that he saw two deer resting in the 
shade of a live oak tree on Maverick Mountain across 
the valley. By his direction I was able to locate them, 
but they did not look any bigger than kittens. As the 
quarry was at rest and likely to remain quiet for some 
time, he advised riding farther up the valley and out 
of sight before starting to stalk them. We left our 
horses at the foot of the mountain with the bridle 
reins trailing over their heads, which is the cowboy's 
method of hitching his mount, and proceeded to climb 
on foot. Cautiously peering over a little ridge on a 
shoulder of the mountain where we had them located, 
we saw the deer within easy shooting distance. In an 
instant Charlie's gun rang out and the shot dropped 
one of the deer, when its mate ran one hundred yards 
down the mountain side and stopped, looking back to 
see what had become of its companion. I was pre- 



KANCH REMINISCENCES 267 

pared for any event and immediately aimed a plunging 
shot off liand, when it also toppled over dead. We 
each carried a deer down to where we had left our 
horses, loaded them up and rode home. The women 
at the ranch house had heard the shots and had seen 
the smoke from our guns; and in less than an hour 
after leaving the house we were back home, each of 
us with a deer on his saddle. 

My annual visits to the ranch up to 1891 consumed 
from four to six weeks each, but that was not enough 
time in which to see everything. That year I arranged 
my affairs to stay six months, or during the entire 
summer, and I never spent a more interesting or en- 
joyable vacation. I saw all phases of ranch life and 
was not pressed for time, nor did I have to feel in a 
hurry to go. 

I was often alone on the ranch several days at a 
time when the crew of cowboys were away on the range 
or busy at a roundup. Then I had to cook my own 
meals or go hungry. I cultivated a vegetable garden 
as an experiment, which proved a great success and 
added a variety of new dishes to the daily menu. The 
cucumbers were particularly choice and I found them 
to be a desirable and wholesome fruit. A cucumber 
sUced thin and seasoned to suit the taste with a dash 
each of salt, sugar, vinegar and water, makes a fine 
salad and, combined w^ith bread and meat, constitutes 
a full and satisfactory meal. 

"Watermelons also grew to perfection and served the 
double purpose of meat and drink. A plump thirty or 
forty pound melon crisp and sweet off the vine, in the 
cool early morning, often furnished three square meals 
a day and fully satisfied the cravings of nature. The 
Rattlesnake was a favorite brand, but the Cuban Queen 



268 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

was also in demand on account of its size, one of them 
often weighing from seventy to eighty pounds. Other 
vegetables such as beans, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, etc., 
were also grown, so that I could truthfully say I lived 
off the fat of the land. 

I soon discovered that the average cowboy is no 
farmer and will seldom do any work which he con- 
siders does not belong to his profession. I could not 
get them to do any kind of garden work, but I noticed 
that they were always ready to partake of its fruits 
whenever they were cooked and served in savory 
dishes on the table. 

The ranch had few callers and only rarely did a 
stranger stop to ask for information or to obtain a 
supply of water for his horses and wagon. The coun- 
try is too sparsely settled and the distance between 
ranches too great to make travelers numerous. The 
most frequent visitors on a ranch are the chuck line 
riders. They are the incompetents among the cowboys 
who cannot hold down a job. Having no ambition or 
steady employment, they drift from ranch to ranch 
and live on the generosity of the owners. These un- 
invited guests often become a nuisance but are tol- 
erated because cowmen are generous and do not wish 
to give offense. The hobos of the range are apt to 
exaggerate any real or imaginary mistreatment, and 
are always ready to repeat their grievance to any who 
will listen, and in this manner they often misrepresent 
affairs and prejudice neighbors against one another. 

Doctor J. A. Bright, the Willcox druggist, made 
repeated promises to visit us, but not until the summer 
was nearly spent did he put in an appearance, when a 
young man named Billy Lumpkiiis and I were the sole 
occupants of the ranch. He gave us a great surprise 



RANCH REMINISCENCES 269 

when he called in the night after everybody was in bed 
and asleep. The Doctor left town that afternoon in a 
buggy, in good time to make the trip, and expected to 
reach the ranch before dark, but he missed the road 
and was late in arriving. I was glad to see him even 
if he did come at an inopportune time when the ranch 
larder was low and the flour bin almost empty. Know- 
ing that he was hungry I got busy hunting something 
to eat. Fortunately there was a remnant of boiled 
beef and beans in the dinner pot, which was soon 
warmed up and set before the hungry guest. There 
was not a bite of bread in the house, and only one cup 
of flour in the sack, which was being held in reserve 
for breakfast ; but I at once proceeded to make it into 
a loaf of ranch bread, remarking as I put it into the 
oven that supper would soon be ready. The guest ate 
heartily of the beef and beans and forgot about the 
bread, which I also purposely failed to mention again, 
so that it was saved for breakfast as originally in- 
tended. 

Any one not informed would never have detected 
the innocent deception nor the deplorable state of the 
larder had not another unexpected event happened 
later in the forenoon. The Judge dropped in on one 
of his unannounced visits and went straight to the 
cupboard to get something to eat, as he was always 
hungry. Not finding anything, he wanted to know why 
the empty cupboard? Billy spoke up and said that 
everything eatable in the house had been consumed at 
breakfast, and that not a bite could be had until the 
ranch wagon, which was about due, would arrive from 
town with a load of fresh supplies. When the Doctor, 
who sat near and heard the conversation, sized up the 
situation he could not suppress a smile, and passed it 



270 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

as a good joke. If only the inquisitive Judge had kept 
out of the cupboard and said nothing, the deception 
would not have been exposed. 

One night towards morning we were awakened out 
of a sound sleep by a most unearthly noise. In our 
half awakened state it sounded like the Crack of Doom 
and seemed more like a nightmare than anything real. 
It seemed to be a combination of running horses, crack- 
ing timbers and the roar of a mighty wind. By the 
time we reached the door the storm had passed and the 
night was quiet. We wondered what had happened to 
make such a fuss and studied whether we were awake 
or only dreaming. We lay down again, were soon 
asleep and knew nothing more until morning. 

After we got up we found a young man from town 
standing at the door, who explained the cause of the 
commotion. He had been sent out in haste during 
the night by the local physician to find me, as he wanted 
to see me in consultation in a desperate case of sick- 
ness that he was treating. The boy drove a span of 
young horses in a light wagon and traveled fast as he 
was in a hurry. He managed to keep in the road in 
the dark until he came near the ranch where it disap- 
peared in a maze of cattle trails that led to water. 
This confused him and switched him off the road onto 
a trail which descended abruptly into a ravine. Team, 
wagon and driver went over the cliff together, which 
frightened the horses so that they ran away. They 
raced by the house through heavy mesquite brush and 
scattered pieces of the broken wagon and harness in 
every direction. The driver followed on foot, but did 
not catch the horses until morning. After breakfast 
a ranch conveyance was provided which took us to 
town in quick time. The patient, however, proved to 



RANCH EEMIXISCENCES 271 

be a hopeless case and died the same day. My nerves 
were somewhat shaken hy the unusual episode and I 
was thankful that the like of it did not happen every 
day. 

In 1892 I moved from Topeka, Kansas, to Los An- 
geles, California, to live, and on my way out made my 
annual visit to the ranch. It was the first serious' 
drought that the ranch had experienced and the cattle 
looked rough and thin from lack of feed. The air vras 
also unusually dry and electrical, which made every- 
body feel irritable and unhappy. The conditions were 
unattractive and I did not stay long but hurried on 
to the coast, to return later when the situation was 
improved. 

After the year nineteen hundred I did not make such 
frequent visits to the ranch but spent most of my 
vacations in traveling over northern Arizona, seeing 
its many natural wonders, which were mostly new to 
me. By thus seeing all parts of Arizona I found out 
what a great country it is and the extent of its varied 
resources. 

Late in the autumn of 1904 Doctor B. F. Beazell 
of Pittsburgh, Pa., met me at the ranch to spend the 
holidays. As Christmas approached the cowboys in- 
formed us that they were going home to see the folks, 
which meant that we would have to run the ranch with- 
out help while they were away. We decided to cele- 
brate Christmas by preparing a big dinner and enjoy- 
ing ourselves. As the responsibility of the affair 
rested on me, I made plans for the dinner and started 
in by getting a pot of beef ready to boil. Doctor Bea- 
zell said that he was hungry for soup and would show 
me how to make it, to which offer I gave my consent 
as he seemed to be sure of his culinary ability. He 



272 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

began the process by pouring a pint of rice and a quart 
of beans into the pot with the beef. As I had had some 
exi^erience in soup-making myself, I anticipated that 
something extraordinary might happen. I excused 
myself and took a walk over the hills. After some 
time had elapsed I returned to the house and found 
the Doctor very busy with the miraculous increase of 
rice and beans in the kettle. Instead of dipping out hot 
soup as he had planned to do, he was kept on the jump 
disposing of the surplus rice and beans until he had 
filled nearly every empty vessel in the house. After 
getting matters regulated we settled down and en- 
joyed the rest of the day with a good dinner and a 
hearty laugh over our adventure. By some means the 
news of our wonderful dinner spread among the neigh- 
boring ranches and afforded some amusement to the 
cowboys, who always make the most of every trifle 
for their own amusement ; and the incident is even yet 
referred to in a quiet chuckle. 

In the summer of 1905, while I was at the ranch 
getting ready to go to the White Mountains, I chanced 
to meet the eminent naturalist, John Muir, in W^illcox. 
He said that he had come there hoping to benefit his 
daughter's health and to get frrst hand information of 
the desert and the many attractive features of the 
Arizona country. He was stopping at the Sierra 
Bonita Ranch with Colonel Hooker, where he found 
good accommodations. Subsequently Colonel Hooker 
told me about Mr. Muir's visit and said that he found 
him to be an agreeable gentleman and a. guest who was 
not hard to please. My book of Arizona Sketches was 
just out and the Colonel had several copies in his 
house. In the morning after breakfast Mr. Muir would 



RANCH REMINISCENCES 273 

put a copy of the book under liis arm and with his 
daughter wander off towards a grove of shade trees 
down by the lake and wouhl not be seen again until 
evening. Mr. Muir was not only a keen and careful 
observer of nature but also had the happy faculty of 
telling the story in books in a fascinating manner. 

Returning from an eastern trip in 190(3, I could not 
refrain from stopping at the ranch again for a few 
days' outing. Although I had not ridden horseback 
for years, on leaving the ranch I rode fifteen miles to 
the railroad station at the head of a bunch of cowboys, 
without a halt, and did not feel a bit tired. We did 
not shoot up the town cowboy fashion as we might 
have done, but people whom we passed on the road 
looked surprised, as if uncertain as to what our inten- 
tions might be ; but we were not the desperadoes that 
our rough appearance indicated. 

Not one of my many trips to the ranch was made 
without something strange happening, but they are not 
all recorded in this chapter. Even as late as 1916 
when the country had filled up with settlers and be- 
come civilized, I saw sights just as startling as any that 
had preceded them. While the Judge and I were driv- 
ing out of Willcox in a buggy we saw a strange look- 
ing object approaching us in the road. As we came 
nearer we saw that it was two young men carrying a 
board on their shoulders, upon which rested the dead 
body of a little girl covered with light drapery. The 
sight was so unexpected and sad that we instinctively 
drove slowly by in silence. After passing them a short 
distance we also met the family walking in the road. 
We stopped and spoke to the mother who informed 
us they were taking the dead body of their little daugh- 



274 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

ter from Glade, a switch station on the railroad, to 
bury her in the Willcox graveyard where she would 
have company. They were Mexicans and apparently 
too poor to afford a funeral cortege. 



CHAPTER X 

BIG IRRIGATION PROJECTS 

In the arid Southwest the natural rainfall is not 
sufficient to grow and mature cereal crops. The coun- 
try has a tine climate, soil and scenery, but very little 
water, though when enough can be developed for irri- 
gation, it is capable of making a Paradise. 

When water is applied to land artificially by irriga- 
tion, it is superior to rain, as it can be regulated and 
used in such quantities as may be desired. Rain is 
always irregular — is apt to be either too much or too 
little, and only seldom just right for the needs of the 
growing crops. Much damage is also done by floods 
in the rainy season; but the failure of crops is more 
commonly due to a protracted drought. 

The soil of the Southwest is more fertile than it is 
in the east because it contains important chemical salts 
that are necessary to plant growth. In a country where 
it rains frequently these salts are leached out of the 
soil and lost to agriculture. Sometimes they are pres- 
ent in excess, when they become injurious by making 
the soil alkaline, which is a condition that is difficult 
to correct. 

The arid Southwest was settled and cultivated by 
an agricultural people long before it was occupied by 
the white man. Many ancient ruins of buildings and 
irrigating ditches are found which show that the coun- 
try was once densely populated and productive. In the 

275 



276 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

Salt and Gila River valleys are many such ruins ; and 
old irrigating ditches that run on perfect geodetic 
lines are yet being used for conveying water to modern 
cultivated fields. 

In the unfenced pastures of the western country 
during the early days, the original locator of land had 
the vast public domain to choose from and he was prac- 
tically lord of all he surveyed. Those days are past, 
as most of the wild land has been located, and but few 
opportunities remain for making desirable entries 
under the general land laws. Making a location, how- 
ever, is only the first step in acquiring title to govern- 
ment land and even though the land costs but little, 
it is of small value for any purpose without water. 

There are comparatively few places in that vast re- 
gion where water is found in running streams, springs 
or wells. Although it is sometimes struck at a great 
depth, as a general rule it cannot be obtained at any 
depth by digging. It is a dry land and looks bleak 
and barren except during the short rainy season when 
the grass grows and the country looks green. Without 
some permanent water for house use, no home can be 
established and growing anything is simply out of the 
question. 

The original entry fee for such a piece of land is but 
a trifle compared to the cost of its improvement. There 
is considerable expense attached to getting the land 
into shape and ready for planting. It is ordinarily 
more than one man's job and requires large capital 
and co-operation to make it a success. The ground 
has to be cleared and leveled, ditches dug and kept in 
order and large reservoirs built for storing a perma- 
nent supply of water. Starting life in a new country is 
not all joy, and many hardships and privations have 



BIG IRRIGATION PROJECTS 277 

to be endured. Everything is new and has to be tried 
out as to possibilities and values. It requires pluck, 
patience and perseverance to bring success, and make 
the land productive and profitable, which is no small 
undertaking in any case. 

Dry farming is being employed to some extent and 
has been found helpful, but it is a new method and 
not yet fully developed. If diligently practiced under 
favorable conditions it is of much benefit, but when the 
soil is not well stored with moisture in advance, it is 
of but little value. 

In recent years various private enterprises have 
been started for irrigating desert land, yet for some 
reason they have nearly all failed. The government 
was finally asked to help and has given valuable assis- 
tance. Through the Reclamation Service expert en- 
gineers and large sums of money were furnished which 
made it possible to finance big irrigation projects. 
Some of these projects have already been completed 
and are now in successful operation and others are 
being planned. They have been the means of estab- 
lishing many new homes in farming communities on 
a permanent and prosperous basis. The estimated 
average cost of getting the land ready for cultivation 
is about one hundred dollars per acre. By the govern- 
mental method the investor is protected in his pur- 
chase by getting long time and easy payments, which 
gives him a chance to win out. The purchaser can 
acquire title to only a limited amount of land, one hun- 
dred and sixty acres or less, which prevents the land 
being monopolized and owned by a few men for specu- 
lative uses. The purpose of the plan is to secure small 
homes for many people, who can till the soil under 
favorable conditions, which benefits both the individual 



278 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

and the community. From the patrons of each project 
is organized a water users ' association which manages 
the distribution of water under government control. 

The newest of these projects, and only recently fin- 
ished, is the Elephant Butte Dam on the Rio Grande 
in New Mexico. It is a storage reservoir of immense 
size that has four times the capacity of the Assuan 
Dam on the river Nile in Egypt and is twice the size 
of the Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River in Arizona. 
It is said to be the largest reservoir in the world. Its 
cost w^as ten million dollars and it is capable of serv- 
ing three hundred thousand acres of land in the United 
States and Mexico. 

The Rio Grande Valley has given in past times the 
longest agricultural service of any region in the United 
States. Farming and stock raising have been prac- 
ticed ever since its first occupation by the Spaniards 
in 1540, and it was farmed before by the Pueblo In- 
dians from time immemorial. 

Soon after the United States took possession of New 
Mexico in 1848, hardy pioneers from the east began 
to search that region for new homes. Among the first 
places to attract attention was the Salt River Valley 
in central Arizona, but owing to its remoteness from 
civilization and frequent incursions by the Apaches, 
its progress was slow and it did not really begin to 
develop until the year 1868. Since that time the im- 
provements have been steady and its present wealth 
fully justifies the wisdom of its early choice. The 
charm of this beautiful green oasis on the desert is 
accentuated by its barren surroundings and it has be- 
come one of the show places of Arizona. It is a pros- 
perous agricultural and horticultural region and is 
settled by an industrious and enterprising people. 



BIG lERIGATION PROJECTS 279 

The natural water supply of the Salt River Valley 
is more abundant than is common in a desert country. 
Many small streams, that are called rivers on the map, 
flow out of the mountains and furnish plenty of water 
for a season, but the frequent dry spells cause the 
streams to diminish to such an extent that the flow 
of water often fails entirely at a critical time when it 
is most needed and the growing crops are ruined. The 
uncertainty of getting a harvest discouraged the farm- 
ers from tilling the soil and development work almost 
ceased. The Roosevelt Dam was then planned and 
built to correct the water deficit and to furnish an 
ample supply for all time. In this immense reservoir, 
the run-off from an extensive w^atershed is collected 
and used in irrigating the fertile fields of the valley 
whenever water is needed, which makes its agriculture 
absolutely secure. The dam is located in a mountain 
region of much wild beauty and is rapidly becoming 
an attractive health and pleasure resort. 

Another region of great interest and importance is 
the Yuma country on the lower Colorado River. Here 
the river banks are low and subject to overflow when 
the water is high, and the loose sandy soil is not suited 
for dam and bridge building. Yuma is the only place 
on the river for many miles where the banks are rocky 
and sufficiently firm to make a safe crossing. In the 
early days all overland travel to the Pacific Ocean by 
the southern route crossed the Colorado River at 
Yuma. A crude flat boat was first used, after which 
a rope ferry was established; then the Southern Pa- 
cific Railroad bridge was built and only recently has 
a substantial wagon and automobile bridge been fin- 
ished. This road was attractive to the immigrant as it 
avoided the high mountains and snow that had to be 



280 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

encountered in the north. Notwithstanding the scarcity 
of water and the hardships of the trip, fully eight 
thousand immigrants crossed the Colorado Desert dur- 
ing the first ten years of the California gold rush. 
Yuma is also the head of sea navigation on the Gulf 
of California and was the distributing point for travel 
and commerce to the interior parts of Arizona before 
the railroad was built. 

The land of the Colorado Eiver Valley is very rich, 
and when water is applied to the soil by irrigation it 
yields heavy crops. No dependence can be put in the 
rainfall, as the annual precipitation is less than three 
inches. How to get water out of the river onto the 
land was a problem, as there was no suitable place 
for building a rock bottom dam and the cost of pump- 
ing made it prohibitive. The engineers who had the 
work in charge finally decided that a dam of the weir 
type, which did not require bed rock, could be success- 
fully installed. The Laguna Dam was then built which 
raises the water in the river bed high enough to cause 
it to run through lateral canals without interfering 
materially with the channel flow. By this means water 
is brought by gravity flow on to the bottom lands below 
Yuma, where a highly productive agricultural district 
has been developed. 

Before the Laguna Dam was begun, one of the 
largest private irrigating enterprises ever conceived 
was organized to reclaim the waste lands of the Colo- 
rado Desert. Professor William P. Blake, the dis- 
tinguished geologist and mining engineer, while em- 
ployed by the government surveying routes for a Pa- 
cific railroad, was the first man to explain the origin 
of the Salton Sink and to trace its ancient history. He 
was also first to suggest the possibility of irrigating it 



BIG IRRIGATION PROJECTS 281 

and predicted that when it should thus be supplied with 
water from the Colorado River, its soil would ''yield 
crops of most any kind." He had the imagination 
of an investigator coupled with the accurate knowledge 
of a scientist, and could see that the sedimentary de- 
posits in that ancient sea basin needed only water to 
make them fertile.* 

In 1891 a corporation was formed and named The 
California Irrigation Company, for the purpose of 
carrying water from the Colorado River into the 
Salton Sink. For various reasons the enterprise failed, 
but was reorganized in 1896 as The California De- 
velopment Company. Slowly the difficulties in the way 
of its progress were overcome and in 1900 the company 
got fairly upon its feet and started on its career of 
usefulness. In that year actual work was begun by 
cutting the low bank of the Colorado River nearly 
opposite Yuma, and digging canals and ditches for 
conveying water to thousands of acres of irrigable 
land. About that time the first settler arrived in the 
valley and colonists from every direction commenced 
to flock in. It was decided that the name of Colorado 
Desert was too suggestive of aridity and failure for 
an irrigating enterprise, and in its stead the new name 
of Imperial Valley was adopted as being more alluring 
to the home seeker. The company had many tribula- 
tions and difficult problems to solve as it was a pioneer 
in its field. The scheme made no money for its original 
promoters, but the big paying crops that are now 
being gathered makes the land in the Imperial Valley 
very remunerative to the farmer. Water on desert 
land has developed a fertility and productiveness that 
is almost beyond belief. The desert is a great store- 

*lhe Sulton Sea, by George Keiuian. 



282 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

house of potential wealth and its producing* capacity 
seems to be unlimited. 

Centuries ago the Gulf of California extended more 
than one hundred miles farther north, and its ancient 
beaches and shore line can yet be traced in many places 
upon the mountain side. As the heavy sediment from 
the murky waters of the Colorado River settled and 
accumulated in the quiet waters of the Gulf, an exten- 
sive delta of alluvial soil was built up into a large body 
of dry land, which eventually reached across the gulf 
to the coast of Lower California. The newly made 
land thus cut off a large arm of the sea, from which 
basin the water gradually evaporated and left a deep 
depression that is approximately three hundred feet 
below the level of the sea and is known as the Salton 
Sink. 

The lower Colorado River, after the fashion of 
western rivers, runs upon a dyke that was made by a 
deposit of silt upon its bottom which raised the river 
bed to an elevation above the level of the surrounding 
plain. This peculiarity of stream formation in the 
west causes low banks and frequent overflows. Other 
streams have a habit of losing themselves and running 
empty for a season, when the water sinks into the sand 
and flows in subterranean channels, appearing and dis- 
appearing at irregular intervals until they lose them- 
selves entirely on the desert, like the Mimbres River 
in New Mexico, the Humbolt River in Nevada and the 
Mojave River in California, 

The Colorado River reaches its highest stage in the 
month of June during the summer rainy season. The 
water resulting from melting snow in the mountains 
and frequent heavy rains, empties into the Colorado 
River and rushes through the Grand Canyon in a 



BIG lERIGATION PROJECTS 283 

mighty torrent to tlie sea. At the time of the freshet, 
the river invariably overflows its banks near its mouth, 
and the flood waters cut their way through the land in 
new channels on the lines of least resistance. After 
the flood subsides and after the overflowed land be- 
comes sufficiently dried, the Indians plant their corn 
and melons in the damp soil and raise bountiful crops 
without any more rain or further effort. Because of 
the dry climate and the overflow of the Colorado River, 
it was suggested at various times that its banks be cut 
and the river turned into the Salton Sink to form an 
inland sea to improve the climate; but it was never 
done. However, this very thing happened uninten- 
tionally many years later, when the irrigation company 
tapped the river to till its canal to moisten the rich 
soil of this newly discovered agricultural field. 

During the summer flow of 1905 the high water 
broke into the canal in an uncontrollable flood and 
went racing do^Yn the steep grade in a rushing, raging- 
torrent into the Salton Sink, where it soon formed a 
large lake. As the water gradually spread over the 
bottom land it first destroyed the salt works estab- 
lished there many years ago, and then submerged the 
Southern Pacific Railroad track which was built on an 
air line through the basin from Indio to Yuma. The 
encroaching w^aters made it necessary to move the 
track to higher ground repeatedly in order to escape 
the rising tide. After a heroic struggle and only by 
the greatest effort was the break in the river bank 
closed and the water turned back into its natural chan- 
nel. Two years later the same thing happened again, 
but in a new place and on a much larger scale, when 
the mad, runaway river went racing on once more into 
the Salton Sink. 



284 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

The situation was now desperate and even worse 
than before, and experienced engineers predicted that 
the river could never be controlled. In the meantime 
a new danger developed. At the lower end of the self 
made canal, where the water entered the lake, a cata- 
ract had formed that grew into a falls eighty feet high 
and one thousand feet wide. The receding water-falls 
kept on steadily cutting back into new soil and traveled 
up stream at the rate of one third of a mile per day. 
This cutting back was bound to continue as long as 
the flood lasted, or until it reached the river ; and then 
on up the stream past Yuma until it reached rock 
bottom in the great gorge of the Grand Canyon above. 
This action would not only destroy the Laguna Dam, 
but also sink the river bed so deep into the earth that 
the water could not be raised again to fill the canals 
by gravity flow, and thus destroy its usefulness for 
irrigation for all time. The financial loss of such a 
catastrophe was estimated to amount to fully one bil- 
lion dollars, which made it imperative that the break in 
the river bank be speedily and permanently closed. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad, which had borne the 
brunt of previously checking the river, lent itself again 
to the task of closing the gap, and was, indeed, the only 
adequate available force in sight. Complicated engi- 
neering rules were ignored, and preparations rushed 
to fill the breach by the most direct methods and in the 
shortest possible time. Human ingenuity was pitted 
against Nature's forces, and Man won. A double rail- 
road track trestle fifty feet wide was started across 
the gap for running cars and dumping rocks and other 
filling material in an uninterrupted stream. 

It was no small matter to drive ninety foot piles in 
thirty feet of swift running water that was heavily 



BIG IRRIGATION PROJECTS 285 

loaded with submerged drift. Often when a pile 
seemed to be securely anchored it would suddenly be 
dislodged and shot into the air by the mad swirl of 
water, or snapped like the stem of a clay pipe under 
an extra pressure of driftwood. Whole bents of the 
trestle went out at a time that were immediately re- 
placed by men and material held in reserve for just 
such an emergency. 

Active work went on day and night without cessa- 
tion and the seemingly impossible feat of closing the 
gap was finally accomplished on February tenth, 1907. 
It took nearly two years to close the first break and 
only two months to do it the second time, although the 
last job was much the harder, but everything was 
ready and the men had more experience and were 
better equipped for the work. It is a striking example 
of the value of preparedness that applies with equal 
force to other lines of endeavor. 

Notwithstanding that the water in the Salton Sea 
was once all licked up and evaporated by the dry hot 
air of the desert, it is not likely that this thing will 
ever happen again as local conditions have changed. 
Under irrigation there will always be a small stream 
of water flowing into the lake, caused by seepage and 
overflowing ditches, that will render negative the dry- 
ing effects of evaporation. Recent events denote that 
the Salton Sea has come back to stay, but as a fresh 
water lake. Contrary to expectations this large body 
of water on the desert has produced no perceptible 
effect on the climate, nor will it in the future. The 
factors that cause siccity are cosmic rather than local, 
and any man made changes in local conditions cannot 
be expected to change Nature or alter her imnnitable 
laws. But the possibility of the Colorado River break- 



286 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

ing loose again and filling the dry lake permanently 
with a flood of water will always remain as an ever 
present menace to the people of the Imperial Valley. 

Any community that aspires to become a cosmo- 
politan city must have an abundance of good water for 
domestic use and other purposes. Such a favorable 
situation was the good fortune of Los Angeles when 
it started on a career of city building. The entire 
coastal plain is one vast artesian basin where water 
can be obtained almost anywhere by digging, and if a 
well does not flow the water is so near the top that it 
can be easily pumped. 

Another source of supply is the Los Angeles River, 
which is not always reliable, as it is subject to fluctua- 
tions. In the winter rainy season there is plenty of 
water running in the river but during the long dry 
summer when it is most needed, the stream almost 
disappears. On the plains of Southern California the 
streams are all formed on the dyke type. In the moun- 
tains much heavy material like gravel and sand is 
picked up by the water after a rain and is carried down 
stream by the impetuous current to be deposited below, 
where it builds up a river bed on made land above the 
level of the surrounding plain. After every heavy 
rain or thaw of snow on the highlands the rivers run 
full and sometimes overflow their low banks, when the 
liberated flood goes meandering over the landscape to 
the serious loss and inconvenience of the people. In 
recent years flood control methods have been adopted 
which have improved conditions greatly and such de- 
structive floods are no longer feared. 

After the conservation of water came into vogue the 
Los Angeles River lost its imposing look because of 
its empty appearance, and on that account it is some- 



BIG lERIGATION PROJECTS 287 

times ridiculed by strangers who are unacquainted 
with local conditions. In a dry land where the soil is 
thirsty for rain, water is too precious to be allowed 
to run to waste, and every drop of surplus water is 
caught and stored for whatever use it may be most 
needed. Thus all of the water in the river, which is 
the property of the city, is appropriated almost before 
it reaches the city gates and is turned to some good 
purpose. It is filtered through gravel beds and puri- 
fied for domestic purposes, and is used in sprinkling 
the streets, filling the lakes in the numerous pleasure 
parks about the city, and for irrigating much land that 
makes possible the miles and miles of beautiful green 
fields, lawns and flower gardens, which are such at- 
tractive features of the country. 

The water supply of a growing city is of vital im- 
portance, and when it is uncertain the fear of a pos- 
sible shortage is a constant concern. In such a situa- 
tion it is only natural to anticipate a time when extra 
efforts wall have to be made to increase the visible 
supply. This pre-vision of events the Los Angeles 
officials seem to have had, and instead of waiting for 
rain to fall from the clouds, started a hunt to find more 
water to fill new reservoirs. Investigation proved that 
no other large body of water existed in the vicinity of 
Los Angeles than those already in use. The search 
was then extended to new territory in outlying dis- 
tricts, and the nearest source for a new supply w^as 
ascertained to be the Owens River, two hundred and 
fifty miles north on the desert. This river is fed from 
the watershed of Mount Whitney, which is fifteen thou- 
sand feet high and is the highest mountain in Califor- 
nia. Immediate steps were taken to secure the neces- 
sary land and water rights on that stream, which gives 



288 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

the city all tlie water and electric power it needs for 
all time to come. 

The city voted twenty-five million dollars in bonds 
to build an aqueduct of concrete and steel to carry, 
by gravity flow, thirty thousand miners' inches of pure 
mountain water to the gates of the city, which is now 
the municipal water system. Building this huge aque- 
duct was a big undertaking, but the plan was fully 
considered and pronounced feasible by a board of en- 
gineering experts before the work was begun. It w^as 
to be completed in five years but was finished sooner; 
and the fact that it cost less than the estimated price 
proves that there was no waste or graft in its con- 
struction. 

Few cities are ever called to finance and engineer 
so large an undertaking, or are willing and able to 
put it through. The people were practically unani- 
mous in favor of the enterprise, and their customary 
optimism and unity of action, as in every enterprise 
for the good of the city, assured its success from the 
beginning. 



CHAPTER XI 



SOUTHWEST CLIMATE 



The Southwest has qualities of climate that are not 
found in any other portion of the United States, nor, 
perhaps, in the whole world. 

Every country has its own local weather conditions 
and the peculiarities of weather that are found in one 
section are often the opposite of what exist in some 
other region. About every kind of climate is found 
somewhere in the United States, and no citizen of the 
nation has to leave his own country in search of it. 
All that is necessary for him to do to find what he 
wants, is to enquire and ascertain what there is at 
home. 

There is a marked difference in climate between the 
eastern and western half of the United States. Near 
the one hundredth meridian of longitude, at the geo- 
graphic center of our country, the change begins that 
separates the humid east from the arid west. The 
humidity in the east is always excessive and causes 
much physical discomfort that is not experienced in 
the arid regions of the far west. 

The low lying woodlands of the east, and wide 
j3rairies of the middle west, have many disagreeable 
climatic changes and weather extremes. The summers 
are excessively hot and the winters extremely cold. 
Not only are there these uncomfortable spells of heat 
and cold, but there are also frequent storms of thunder 

289 



290 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

and lightning', accompanied by either wind, rain, hail 
or snow, which give unpleasant variety to the weather. 
Humidity accentuates the summer's heat and causes 
much extra sickness, suffering and death. A moist 
atmosphere in winter, likewise, intensifies the cold, 
when the earth lies buried beneath snow and ice and 
the land is swept by raging blizzards. Local storms 
may come from any direction but most of the big gen- 
eral storms come out of the northwest, from Medicine 
Hat and the Puget Sound country. Whenever one of 
these storms starts on its eastward course, spreading 
out like an open fan as it goes, it sweeps the entire 
country from the lakes to the gulf, and from the moun- 
tains to the sea. 

In the arid Southwest there are never any destruc- 
tive storms and much of the country is practically free 
from all weather extremes. The atmosphere is always 
warm and dry; while the sunshine is hot, the heat is 
not felt severely as it is tempered by siccity and is not 
oppressive. The difference in the effect is due to the 
lack of moisture. A shade temperature of one hun- 
dred and twenty degrees Fahrenheit in arid Yuma is 
more tolerable and less dangerous to life than are 
eighty degrees in humid New York. 

Evaporation causes coolness but where there is much 
moisture in the air, evaporation ceases. Whenever the 
dry and wet bulb thermometers register within a few 
degrees of each other, as they often do in the east, it 
means that the humidity is high, the air heavily 
charged with moisture and evaporation at a standstill. 
If great heat is added to the dampness, the combina- 
tion causes much suffering to both man and beast and 
sunstroke is of frequent occurrence, which often re-^ 
suits in death. Evaporation is one of nature 's methods 



SOUTHWEST CLIMATE 291 

for cooling tlie body and maintaining its normal tem- 
perature. The perspiration on the body evaporates 
quickly in the dry air and gives a refreshing sense of 
coolness. In a damp atmosphere the body remains 
swathed in a blanket of sticky secretion that cannot 
evaporate and has a depressive effect. 

Humidity is an important factor in climatology and 
is of two kinds, absolute and relative. The former 
represents the maximum amount of water that the air 
is capable of absorbing, and the latter is the actual 
amount of water which is present in the air at any 
given time and place, and is sometimes called the sat- 
uration deficit. Relative humidity acts on a sliding 
scale of percentages that changes continually and is 
controlled by temperature. Warm air is capable of 
absorbing more moisture than cold air; and a dry 
atmosphere is more favorable to health than a damp 
climate. 

In traveling across the continent the difference in 
humidity is very perceptible. In the rain belt of the 
east the perspiration in hot weather is profuse, even 
when sitting quietly in a rapidly moving car, and is 
accompanied by a muggy, disagreeable feeling of 
dampness. After passing into the dry climate of Colo- 
rado or New Mexico, and clear on to the Pacific Coast, 
the feeling of dampness and depression is absent. This 
quality of atmosphere acts as a primitive refrigerator 
by evaporation, and is made use of in the west for 
cooling the drinking water in an olla, and for preserv- 
ing meat in a dry air refrigerator. These methods of 
refrigeration by evaporation are quite effective, but 
inferior to the modern ice plant which is now found 
in many places on the desert, and adds much to the 
comfort of living in a hot country. 



292 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

What is meant by the Southwest depends somewhat 
on the view point. From any starting point in New 
York, the larger portion of the United States might 
be included in the Southwest. Leaving the Atlantic 
Coast and going west to Chicago, Saint Louis or 
Kansas City, the southwest area becomes considerably 
contracted, but is yet an undefined territory. The real 
Southwest, therefore, is located in the extreme south- 
west corner of our country, and is bounded on the 
east by the Continental Divide, on the north by the 
Colorado Plateau, on the west by the Pacific Ocean 
and on the south by the Gulf of California, and in- 
cludes New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. 

The Continental Divide of the Eocky Mountains is 
the dividing line between the western plains and the 
Pacific slope. The climate west of the Continental 
Divide is more uniform and mild than it is elsewhere, 
and is noticeably sharper east of the Divide in New 
Mexico than it is over the line in Arizona and Cali- 
fornia. 

From the Continental Divide the land slopes towards 
the southwest and its rivers all empty into the western 
sea. The altitude varies from several hundred feet 
below sea level on the Colorado Desert and in Death 
Valley in California, where the rainfall is scant and 
the evaporation excessive, to thirteen thousand feet 
above on the San Francisco Mountains in Arizona. 

A coast country usually has a damp climate, but the 
delta of the Colorado River and the shores of the Gulf 
of California are notable exceptions. Notwithstand- 
ing that this place is near large bodies of water, the 
air is as dry as if it were in the heart of a waterless 
desert. Because of its aridity this region has advan- 
tages of climate that a humid country cannot have. 



SOUTHWEST CLIMATE 293 

There is very little sickness of any kind and the local 
conditions are favorable for convalescence and re- 
cuperation from wasting diseases. 

In clianging climate the object should be to find a 
place where conditions are the opposite of those of the 
existing environment. The changes that would natur- 
ally follow the observance of this rule, would be to go 
from a damp to a dry climate and from a low to a 
high altitude, or vice versa. As dampness prevails 
almost universally, a dry climate must usually be 
sought, as siccity is needed to counteract the dele- 
terious effects of humidity. It is also desirable, some- 
times, to change from a low damp climate to a high 
dry one, but some patients cannot endure altitude be- 
cause of the existence of some organic disease which 
requires atmospheric pressure. In such a case the 
best thing to do is to live in a dry climate, even if 
it is near sea level. Such a spot is found in the Yuma 
country, which has an ideal winter climate. Not 
everybody who needs a change of climate can get it. 
Some do not know where to go to better their condi- 
tion, or if knowing, do not have the means to take 
them ; while others who try, do so in such a haphazard 
manner that their efforts get them nowhere. 

The Yuma climate has been enthusiastically de- 
scribed as "intoxicatingly salubrious." It is a winter 
summer land of sunny skies and balmy breezes with 
an atmosphere that is surpassingly pure and dry. 
J. Ross Browne, the noted author and traveler, 
crossed the Colorado Desert in the winter of 1863, 
when the country was new and unspoiled, and writes 
of his trip as follows: ''The climate in winter is in- 
describably delightful; in summer the heat is exces- 
sive and travelers and animals suffer much from the 



294 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

journey. It was a perfect luxury to breathe such pure 
soft air in the middle of December, when our Atlantic 
friends were freezing amid the ice and snow of that 
wretched part of the world. Between the desert of the 
Colorado and the City of New York there is no com- 
parison in any respect. Give me a pack mule, a shot 
gun and a sack of pinole, with such a climate as this 
and you may take your brick deserts on Fifth Avenue 
and your hot air furnaces and brain racking excite- 
ments and be happy with them! Accept my pity, but 
leave me, if you please, to chase rabbits and quails 
where the sun shines and to lie down of nights and 
sleep on the warm bosom of my mother earth." 

The Colorado Desert that is here described has 
changed its name, but not its climate, and is now known 
as the Imperial Valley, one of the greatest producing 
countries under the sun. The change that has taken 
place is wonderful, and must be seen to be fully ap- 
preciated. The atmosphere is as pure as it can be 
made and every breath inhaled seems to be an inspira- 
tion of new life. If air could be bottled up and trans- 
ported in sufficient quantity, like mineral water, the 
Yuma climate could be shipped east in carload lots, 
where its life giving properties would invigorate the 
sick and send thousands of suffering invalids and 
health seekers every winter to the waiting banks of 
the Colorado River. 

The interior country of the Southwest is compara- 
tively new and sparsely settled and the air has not yet 
become contaminated with the impurities that are 
generated by civilized life; nor is it likely that the 
country will ever be much different from what it is 
at the present time, owing to its arid state. The pure 
air is not confined to any one particular locality, but 



SOUTHWEST CLIMATE 295 

is the same everywhere, at sea level as well as upon 
the mountain top. The air blows in off the ocean in 
gentle zephyrs and becomes refined in the highest 
degree by passing through the fiery furnace of the 
desert. The variety of altitudes which the country 
otfers gives an opportunity to change to any eleva- 
tion and temperature that may be desired and at the 
same time have the benefit of the softest, purest winds 
that blow. 

Upon the low lands of the Southwest in the valleys 
of the Gila and Colorado rivers the summer is hot, 
but the heat is not enervating or oppressive. Men go 
about their daily work in the sunshine the same as 
they do in a cold climate, yet do not suffer from the 
heat, and sunstroke is almost unknown. However, the 
long summer hot spell becomes tiresome and to some 
it may even grow to be monotonous. The people who 
can leave home either go to the mountains or the sea- 
shore to escape it. Those who remain at home, and 
many stay from choice, as they do not find the heat 
uncomfortable but often beneficial, by adopting habits 
that suit the local weather condition, actually manage 
to keep cool. Strange as it may appear, there is less 
sickness during the heated term than at any other time 
of the year, and the doctors invariably shut up shop 
and take a vacation. 

It is just the place for thin blooded people to live 
who have cold feet, and find it difficult to keep warm 
without having to hug continually a base burner stove 
or hot air furnace. It is also an ideal place for the 
fresh air fiend, who imagines that he has to have the 
vrhole universe to breathe in, and wants every window 
and door in the house thrown wide open to the sky, 
without regard to the state of the weather or whom 



296 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

it might inconvenience or injure. But for the average 
mortal to live in measurable comfort during the mid- 
summer months, it is necessary for him to adopt the 
native costume of few clothes and the custom of living 
out of doors. 

After sundown there is a rapid radiation of heat and 
some cooling of the atmosphere takes place, but the 
nights are spent more comfortably out of doors than 
in the house. The dwelling absorbs so much heat dur- 
ing the day, that the entire night is required for it to 
cool off. Because of the heat the majority of persons 
sleep out of doors and make their beds either on the 
flat roof of a house, the floor of a porch, the ground 
of a dooryard, or on the side of a street, as best suits 
the pleasure or convenience of the sleeper. It is a 
curious sight to see a street, that has no fences, in 
some remote frontier hamlet, lined with beds, and to 
see the people getting up and making their toilets out 
of doors in the early hours of the morning, the same as 
in a regular camp. This style of living may not con- 
form to the established usage of polite society in a 
civilized community, but the local conditions seem to 
require it, and under the circumstances everything 
goes as a matter of course. 

The Southwest affords unequaled opportunities for 
providing agreeable camp life and pleasant outings. 
It is the nation's natural playground, where tired and 
invalid folks can go to rest themselves and regain their 
health and strength. The low lands along the Gila and 
Colorado Rivers and on the Mojave and Colorado 
Deserts are not desirable places for holding picnics 
during the summer time, but are delightful spots for 
spending a winter vacation. The summer picnic 
grounds are found upon the high plateaus and moun- 



SOUTHWEST CLIMATE 297 

tains where the weather is always cool. The Colorado 
Plateau and the Mogollon and White Mountains of 
northern Arizona and New Mexico are particularly 
interesting, and afford suitable places for camping 
where there is beautiful scenery, comfortable climate 
and good hunting and fishing. The air is dry and there 
is very little rain, dew or dampness to cause discom- 
fort. The constant bright«sunshine sometimes becomes 
trying to weak eyes that squint through half closed 
lids, but are easily relieved by wearing colored glasses 
whicli mellow the light. 

Everybody needs a change occasionally, just to get 
out of the rut of daily routine and to break the mo- 
notony of sameness. Any kind of a change is better 
than none, but a complete change of occupation and 
environment is necessary to obtain the best results. 
It is especially important for the city dwellers to make 
such a change, where life is largely artificial and the 
nervous tension great. A change to be wholly bene- 
ficial does not mean merely to leave home and the 
crowded city, but also implies keeping away from the 
main thoroughfares of travel, and getting out into the 
wilds, far away from the madding crowd and clear out 
of reach of the daily paper, telephone and telegraph. 
If any man imagines that he is of so much importance 
that the world cannot get along without him, just let 
him try it by going into seclusion, when he will soon 
discover his own insignificance and find out how little 
he is missed. When he has found the right place he 
w^ill come to himself and realize how necessarj^ it is 
to return again to a natural life. The freedom of an 
outdoor life, where he is surrounded by the peace and 
quiet of nature, rests and refreshes the whole man — 
mind, soul and body — beyond the power of words to 



298 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

express. The great Southwest is such a playgroimd, 
where the multitudes can find room to frolic and be- 
come rejuvenated. 

A camping trip into the wilderness results in the 
greatest benefit and pleasure when the company is not 
too large. Two or three congenial companions who are 
banded together in good fellowship is far better than a 
promiscuous crowd. Not every one finds pleasure in 
such a life. Any one who cares only for luxury and ease 
will not find any joy in camp life. Trifles occur daily 
to try the patience, and poise is needed not to be easily 
disturbed. A selfish person never makes a desirable 
camp mate. Unselfishness and kindness are qualities 
that help to make loyal comrades and lasting friend- 
ships. 

The camp outfit should consist of the fewest things 
possible to insure comfort. A light wagon and good 
team of horses are necessary for conversance and are 
preferable to an automobile on account of the uncer- 
tainty of good roads. Likewise a sheet iron camp 
stove is a great convenience, but not essential. If a 
folding cot is used it makes a safe bed from possible 
attacks by small night-prowling varmints. A large 
piece of canvas upon which to spread the bed, and as a 
top cover, is indispensable to keep out the wind and 
rain in stormy weather. In cold dry weather the bed 
should be made on the ground in sand, leaves or pine 
needles, as it is more comfortable than a folding cot. 
A Hopi or Navajo spreads a sheep or goat skin upon 
the ground for a mattress, and with a saddle blanket 
as a cover, sleeps soundly and warmly in any kind of 
weather. A sleeping bag is unnecessary in a hot coun- 
try. When camp is struck the cot is folded up with 
the canvas and blankets in a bed roll tied with a rope 



SOUTHWEST CLIMATE 299 

or strap, which makes a compact and convenient 
bundle for handling and stowing away in the wagon. 

Grass, wood and water are the three essentials of 
a good camp ground and are usually found at suitable 
intervals along the road ; but some extra hay and grain 
must be carried in the wagon for the horses, to use in 
case of emergency, and the canteen, water bag or 
barrel of water must not be forgotten for use on the 
road and at a possible dry camp. The supply of pro- 
visions should be ample to meet all requirements, and 
to satisf}^ the keen appetites that are sure to material- 
ize during the trip. 

The object of such a trip is not to make haste, but 
to travel leisurely and to stop frequently as the in- 
clination or circumstances may direct. At some con- 
venient spot camp should be made for a longer stay, 
to rest and enjoy the scenery, or to explore the locality 
for interesting objects. If riding in the Avagon be- 
comes tiresome, a change should be made to horseback 
or a tramp taken on foot. Any change in the manner 
of locomotion, or other kind of exercise, gives rest by 
bringing into action a new set of muscles and prevents 
the feeling of weariness or exhaustion. All of the vital 
functions are stimulated and benefited by regulated 
action and after such a, vacation life takes on a new 
meaning, something entirely different from anything 
that is ever experienced by the sedentary routine 
plodder. 



CHAPTER XII 

SOUTHERN CALIFOENIA 

Southern California is in the arid region of North 
America, and has a distinct climate of its own. Its 
excellence is due to a combination of good qualities, 
that are found in its unique topography, velo cloud and 
sea. breeze. 

The country south of Tehachepi is Southern Cali- 
fornia, but it is not all alike. It consists of two parts 
and is divided by the Coast Range of mountains. On 
the ocean side is the real Southern California, which 
is so much praised and prized for its balmy, pleasant 
weather, that lasts throughout the year. Over the 
mountains on the desert, the land is dry, dreary and 
desolate as Sahara, with no prospect that the existing 
conditions will ever change materially. For any one 
to picture Southern California as it is described on 
the ocean side and then meet the desert variety, as is 
usually done by the tourist from the east on his way 
to the Coast, is, indeed, disappointing. 

The peculiar topography of the country is one of 
three striking features that help to make its delightful 
climate. All along the northern coast the mountains 
hug the ocean shore and prevent the Seabreeze from 
blowing far inland, except through the single break of 
the Golden Gate at San Francisco. On the southern 
coast the mountains are deflected from the ocean at 
Point Conception and turn abruptly eastward, after 

300 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 301 

wliicli they are named by sections as the Sierra Madre, 
San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mountains. These 
lilo-h mountains stand as a protecting wall to prevent 
the incursion of disagreeable and destructive storms 
from the desert. 

The littoral of Southern California is shaped like a 
crescent, with its two horns touching the ocean at 
Santa Barbara and San Diego. Its concave shore line 
is two hundred and fifty miles long; but its convex base 
line is considerably longer, as it curves inland to a 
depth of one hundred miles at its widest part at San 
Bernardino. Over this broad coastal plain the refresh- 
ing sea breeze blows daily during the summer unob- 
structed. 

A second feature that helps to make the distinctive 
climate of Southern California is the velo cloud. It is 
a high fog, or thin vapor cloud, with a smooth unruffled 
under surface, that has the appearance of rain. It 
forms in a still atmosphere above the water, and floats 
in slowly from the ocean over the land during the 
night, until in the morning it covers the sky completely 
from the mountains to the sea. The velo cloud never 
brings rain, although it is frequently mistaken for a 
rain cloud by the uninitiated. The eastern tourist who 
is, perhaps, only familiar with his home brand of 
weather, and to whom almost any kind of a cloud 
means rain, if he is a summer visitor and sees the 
morning sky covered by an unbroken cloud, naturally 
imagines that it is going to rain. If he starts out to 
take a walk, he sallies forth with an umbrella as if he 
were at home, which is the badge of a tenderfoot and 
certain to attract attention. The appearance of an 
umljrella in the street on a cloudy summer morning 
proclaims its owner to be a stranger in California. 



302 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

From the look of the clouds he expects rain, which is 
the one thing that he does not want, as he came seek- 
ing pleasant weather and a good time, and is surprised 
when he finds that it does not rain. During the entire 
summer this form of cloud comes and goes in the sky 
almost daily, but without giving any rain. The cloud 
disappears in the course of the forenoon and in the 
afternoon the sky is perfectly clear. 

During the presence of the velo cloud, which hangs 
motionless in the sky, there is absolute calm until the 
Seabreeze begins to blow, when the cloud dissolves and 
vanishes as if by magic. The cloud is a regular fea- 
ture of the normal summer weather and when it is 
missing its absence is quickly noticed and felt. If the 
morning cloud canopies the sky it is a sure indication 
that there will be the usual Seabreeze and a comfortable 
day. The "pillar of cloud" shields the land from the 
hot rays of the morning sun when there is no breeze, 
and after the wind begins to blow there is no need of a 
cloud, as the Seabreeze neutralizes the heat of the sun 
and even makes the sunshine seem cool. When there 
is no morning cloud the day will be hot and the temper- 
ature above the average. Whenever such a day occurs, 
and it happens rarely, it is invariably followed by 
two or three hot da^^s in succession, before the weather 
changes back again to normal. 

A third attractive feature of the climate is the daily 
Seabreeze. The cool breeze of salt air blowing off of 
the ocean on a hot summer's day feels deliciously re- 
freshing and invigorating. 

The trade winds blow with great regularity during 
the summer months, when they are most needed, the 
Seabreeze by day and the land breeze at night. The 
Seabreeze always has about the same temperature, 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 303 

which by contrast with the outside weather, feels cool 
in summer and warm in winter. It is tempered by the 
great Kuro Shiwo, or Japan Current, in the Pacific 
Ocean, that sweeps down the coast in a broad deep 
stream. At Point Conception Avhere the shore curves 
to the east and the Channel Islands begin, the current 
leaves the shore and flows straight out to sea, making 
the Seabreeze feel like the cool breath from a snow 
bank. The Kuro Shiwo regulates the temperature of 
the water in the Pacific Ocean so that on the Pacific 
Coast it never varies more than eight degrees Fahren- 
heit during the year, while the difference in tempera- 
ture of the water on the Atlantic Coast amounts to 
forty degrees during the same time. 

The cold, heavy Seabreeze on the coast does not rise 
far above the land, or cross the high mountains. Hav- 
ing its progress barred in the direction of the land 
by the Coast Range, it sweeps southward along the 
shore until it reaches the open country of Southern 
California, where it spreads out in a gentle zephyr 
over the wide Los Angeles plain. This wind travels 
at the rate of six miles an hour and never acquires 
uncomfortable force or velocity. 

The one factor more than any other that contributes 
to this favorable combination of climate, is the close 
proximity of the ocean to the desert. Over the moun- 
tains upon the desert and far away from any water, 
the summer heat becomes intense. Hot air expands 
and ascends while cold air is heavy and sinks. When 
the hot desert air rises it creates a vacuum that must 
be filled. This can only be done by cold air rushing 
in from the outside, which in this case happens to be 
the Seabreeze. 

After the ascending hot air from the desert reaches 



304 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

a point about one mile in height, it starts a current 
that carries it over the mountains on to the Pacific 
Ocean, where it becomes cool and returns again to the 
land as the refreshing Seabreeze. During the period 
of greatest heat on the desert, the Seabreeze blows 
strongest and subsides when the sun goes down and 
radiation of heat begins. On its return journey to the 
desert the Seabreeze gradually loses its coolness and 
changes back to desert air. The breeze which was 
blowing all the afternoon dies down to a calm at sunset. 
After a brief period of rest it begins again, but now 
blows from the opposite direction and becomes the land 
breeze that lasts through the night. The soft summer 
morning cloud and calm, and the clear afternoon sky 
and cool Seabreeze, make a combination of climate 
that could not be improved if made to order. 

The period of the velo cloud and Seabreeze lasts dur- 
ing one half of the year, beginning in the spring at 
about the time of the vernal equinox and disappearing 
in the fall with the advent of the autumnal equinox. 
The cloud and breeze come at a time when they are 
most useful during the hot summer months and dis- 
appear with the return of the cool autumn days, when 
they are no longer needed. 

Upon the high plateau region between the Sierra 
Nevada and Eocky Mountains, there are two rainy 
seasons during the year, that are known as the sum- 
mer and winter rains. On their western slope from 
the Sierras to the sea there is only one rainy season, 
which is during the winter. 

The rainfall on the Pacific Coast is peculiar. The 
rain invariably falls gently and is seldom accompanied 
by wind or thunder and lightning. The atmosphere is 
remarkably free from electricity and rarely produces 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 305 

any unpleasant effects. During the summer rainy sea- 
son upon the desert, a dark nimbus rain cloud is some- 
times seen above the mountain crest, but it rarely ever 
crosses over. The land is at all times free from de- 
structive storms and is perfectly safe for timid people 
who are frightened by them. The duration of the 
rainy season and the amount of precipitation varies 
greatly in different sections of the coast. In the south 
the season is short and the rainfall light, while in the 
north it rains during most of the year. 

The average annual rainfall is approximately ten 
inches at San Diego, fifteen inches at Los Angeles, 
thirty inches at San Francisco, eighty inches in Ore- 
gon, one hundred inches in Washington and as high as 
one hundred and thirty in Alaska. The rains are 
heavier in the mountains than on the plains. To say 
that it never rains in summer in Southern California, 
or that there is no thunder and lightning, is only stat- 
ing a general truth that has some exceptions. These 
things do sometimes occur but are so rare that when 
they do happen they are a seven days' wonder and 
cause much comment. Ordinarily when there is any 
thunder and lightning, it is liable to be during the 
opening and closing storms of the rainy season. 

The rainy season in Southern California is not a 
continuous downpour, as the name might imply, but is 
only a term that is used to distinguish it from the dry 
season. The first shower may come at any time during 
the month of October or November, but it rarely be- 
gins in earnest until December or January. A gentle, 
almost imperceptible breeze, in a hazy atmosphere, 
blows steadily for several days from the south or 
southeast, during which time the storm gathers and the 
rain begins to fall. It is not a storm in the usual 



306 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

meaning of that term, which implies noise and com- 
motion, but the rain falls gently, is unattended by wind 
and unaccompanied by any sound save the quiet tinkle 
of the rain drops as they patter on the roof, or fall 
upon the leaves of the trees and the grassy mold. 
The sound of the first raindrops of the season is the 
sweetest music that ever falls upon a Calif ornian's 
ear and is always welcome. 

The rainfall is sometimes excessive, but more often 
it is deficient. As much as rain may be needed, it is 
not desired in the summer, as it would spoil the climate 
and with the precious climate gone, there would be very 
little left, in an important sense, that a Californian 
would care to live for. As numerous and rich as are 
the varied resources of the state, it is not only freely 
admitted, but enthusiastically conceded, that the cli- 
mate is its chief asset and the compelling force that 
draws crowds of people the year round. 

The rain invariably comes in on a south wind, but 
strange to say, it begins to fall in the north and travels 
down the coast. Before Los Angeles can expect any 
rain it must rain first in San Francisco, five hundred 
miles away, and not until after twenty-four hours does 
it arrive in Southern California. Sometimes a rain 
that starts up north does not extend farther south 
than Tehachepi, which is a disappointment, for then 
the rain that is needed does not arrive. The rainy 
season starts earlier and lasts longer in the north than 
it does in the south. 

After one or more weeks of pleasant weather an- 
other rain comes, much like the first, but this time with 
a decided snowfall in the mountains and the tempera- 
ture acquires some winter coohiess. The ample rains 
wash the sky clean of smoke and dust and a new crea- 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 307 

tion is begiin. After a long- rainless summer, the 
bro\m fields again begin to look green and soon the 
entire landscape is clothed with a carpet of richest ver- 
dure. The annual vegetation of California has an 
unusual, vivid shade of green, that is both striking and 
pleasing. By this time the atmosphere begins to show 
the limpid transparency for which the winters of 
Southern California have become noted. Mountains 
that are fifty miles away appear to be distant only a 
morning's walk. 

About the middle of December may be expected the 
first general rain. After the usual preliminaries the 
rain begins to fall and continues interruptedly for a 
week or ten days. The rain is marked by showers that 
fall during the afternoon and night, the mornings be- 
ing only cloudy without much rain. Deep snow piles 
up in the mountains while the rain falls in the valleys 
below, which makes a beautiful contrast of green 
valleys, white mountains and blue skies. 

January is usually a month of clear skies and bright 
sunshine, that to many persons is the most pleasant 
time of the year. Any change in the weather is mod- 
erate and mild, and never extreme or destructive. 
There are no cyclones or blizzards to fear or worry 
about. As has been pertinently stated: "Everything 
in California is love and sunshine, and life is one long 
sweet dream." This saying may not be strictly true, 
but it must have some basis of fact, or it would never 
have been originated. A cold winter, which is a bug- 
bear to most people, is unknown. The fact that there 
is never any severe frost is evidenced by the constant 
green color of growing vegetation which is seen in 
garden, field and orchard and lasts throughout the 
year. 



308 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

A good climate, like health and wealth, is not always 
appreciated until after it is lost, when it is too late for 
regrets. Rain the country needs and must have, to fur- 
nish a supply of water and this is exclusively provided 
during the winter. Eain and mud make temporarily 
unpleasant weather for getting about and sightseeing, 
so that the tourist who wants to be absolutely sure of 
good weather, should see California in summer when 
the pleasant weather never fails. The many good 
roads in and about Los Angeles make travel easy and 
automobiling a delight. Upon the broad paved boule- 
vards automobiles whiz by in a continuous flight, 
strung out like a flock of wild pigeons going home in 
the good old days of long ago. Where they all come 
from or where they are going nobody knows, and it 
would be hard to guess. 

The mirage occurs in all arid countries and is often 
seen in Southern California. However, as the land is 
mostly fenced and cultivated, the open spaces where 
the mirage loves to play are more limited than on the 
desert. Whenever one appears in an orchard, the 
small fruit trees seem to stand in the water on stilts 
and are magnified into tall forest trees. 

The mirage is affected by changes in distance, eleva- 
tion and the angle of vision. When seen upon a high- 
way it has the appearance of being suspended in mid 
air, and moving vehicles go gliding over the water like 
boats floating on wheels. The apparition sometimes 
comes to to\\Ti and can be seen on the streets in many 
places. Figueroa Street in Los Angeles is one of its 
favorite resorts, where a mirage may be seen at almost 
any hour of the day. The street runs north and south 
through the city and is much used for automobiling, but 
is only one of many fine avenues for driving. 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 309 

The mirage changes its position frequently, but never 
permits of any near approach. It vanishes from one 
spot only to reappear in some other place. Sometimes 
it seems to be very near and again it is far away. Even 
when it is in plain sight, its exact spot is as difficult to 
locate as the end of a rainbow. Chase it as fast as you 
please, it cannot be caught, as it travels just as fast as 
you do and always keeps some distance ahead. The 
street looks like a lake, and all objects in front and on 
its sides are reflected in the magic water as in a mirror. 
A heedless person passing on the road is not apt to 
notice it unless it is pointed out. When that part of 
the road is reached where the lake seemed to be, there 
is not a drop of water in sight, and the pavement is 
perfectly dry. It is an interesting object to behold 
and an attractive subject for study. 

The weather is rarely uncomfortably hot and then 
only for a short time in the sunshine during the middle 
of the day. The climate is, indeed, more cold than 
hot and the evenings are too cool to sit in comfort in 
the open air out of doors without an extra wrap ; and 
a little fire in the house feels good almost any day in 
the year. In the early days when the people lived the 
simple life, no indoor fires were ever used, and the 
houses were built without chimneys. But times have 
changed and now every house is provided with some 
means of heating. A little fire in a small stove or grate 
removes the chill in cool w^eather, and only the large 
building ever needs a furnace. 

There are many small one story houses built that 
have no stairs, which plan has its advantage, but dur- 
ing hot weather a two-story house is more comfortable. 
When the hot sun beats directly upon the roof and 
sides of a one-story house every room in the building 



310 SOUTHWEST SKETCHES 

soon becomes uncomfortably hot. In a two-story house 
the upstairs rooms become heated in like manner, but 
the rooms on the ground floor, and especially those 
on the north side of the house, are always cool, as the 
heat never lasts long enough to penetrate into the 
interior. There is never enough of either heat or cold 
to cause much discomfort, and they need not be con- 
sidered as serious factors of life. 

Speaking of hot things suggests the growing and 
rising of chilli, or red pepper, as a seasoning for food 
in Spanish cooking which deserves to be mentioned. 
Mexican spices are too hot to suit the eastern palate, 
but a taste for pepper is soon acquired by a little prac- 
tice. Almost every dish in the menu is highly sea- 
soned with chilli, which gives it an unusual relish. 
This viand is well adapted to the climate and helps to 
counteract the chilly sensation that is sometimes felt. 
A little red pepper is both wholesome and palatable as 
it stimulates the circulation and aids digestion and 
assimilation. The tasty Spanish dishes of tamales, 
frijoles, enchiladas, chilli con carne, etc., are enough to 
tempt the palate of an epicure. 

That the comfortable climate is favorable to lon- 
gevity cannot be doubted. It may not prolong life indefi- 
nitely as some ardent enthusiasts profess to believe, 
but it does seem to prolong the average allotment of 
life. It is a fact that more old people live in Southern 
California in proportion to the population than in any 
other land under the sun. They have come here to 
spend their declining years in peace and comfort. 
White hairs are seen everywhere upon the streets, in 
churches and wherever people are wont to gather. 
The mortuary tables also show that a large majority 
of deaths are of persons who have passed the meridian 



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 311 

of life and very seldom is the death of a child or young 
person recorded. 

A favorite illustration is often used that compares 
man 's progress in life to the growth of the sturdy oak 
tree. As a tree is supposed to be made more rugged 
and staunch by buffeting winds and a rigorous climate, 
even so is man supposed to be benefited by similar 
rough treatment. But in California this simile does 
not seem to fit. Here, as elsewhere, is found the noble 
oak tree, but far above and beyond the oak towers the 
giant redwood, by the side of which the largest oak is 
only a pigmy and puny affair. The redwood monarch 
of the forest does not get rough treatment, but acquires 
its mammoth proportions in a mild climate, and is the 
oldest living thing in the world. Out of five hundred 
giant trees in the Mariposa Grove of redwoods, the 
Grizzly Giant, which is the largest tree of the group, 
has been scientifically labeled as being eight thousand 
years old. A dash of winter and touch of rigorous 
climate may sometimes be beneficial to both men and 
trees, but is not really necessary as is proven by the 
records of California. 

Bayard Taylor's dream that a more beautiful race 
of people would possess this Paradise seems to have 
been prophetic, and has already come to pass. When 
he returned to California in 1859, ten years after his 
first visit, he wrote that ''the children are certainly a 
great improvement upon those born among us," and 
describes them as "strong limbed, red blooded and 
graceful." He also seems to have realized that the 
climate was not only good for the young, but was 
equally well suited to the aged and infirm, when he 
declares that " If I live to be old and feel my faculties 
failing, I shall go back to restore the sensations of 
vouth in that wonderful air." 



